Debugging the office
Ewwww … like gross. Here’s what really goes on while we’re hanging out at the shop after hours. Actually this was very funny - you really had to be there.
I was typing my blog earlier tonight when all of a sudden I heard this loud, shrill, scream-like laugh. Then what sounded like two men laughing or crying. I walked out of my office, leaned over the railing and called out: “Are you all okay down there?” I heard “No.” So I ran down one set of stairs and heard someone yell “You don’t want to come down here.” I went down anyways. There was Burke with a broom hitting something on the floor. It was this big dark thing - whatever kind of bug it was - about 3″ by 1″.
The staff said it flew over their heads as they were eating pizza and found a landing spot on the false ceiling. It then dived down at Tracy. She’s worried about nightmares tonight.
The insect is a palo verde root borer. The adults bore holes in the roots of palo verde trees with thier mandibles where they lay eggs. Later larvae emerge from the eggs and later become adults, which emerge in the summer months, often after the start of the monsoon. The insects are not attacking humans but are not good flyers and run into things. The beetles are attracted to light at night. Except for a nasty pinch from the manidbles these beetles are harmless. Just keep your fingers away from the front end.