Aussie homeowner's shocking find in doorframe: 'Swarm of millions'
Monolepta beetles are known to travel in seriously large numbers, but some weren't prepared from the smell they bring.
Australians have seen nature throw some pretty crazy things at them during a surprisingly wet and wild start to summer – but some weren't prepared for this.
Over the weekend residents in NSW had their homes overrun by a "swarm of millions" of tiny insects, barely able to see their door frames or out of their windows due to the sudden mass of invaders.
Residents in Lismore — situated in the state's Northern Rivers region — were dumbfounded to find the insects on Saturday night and admitted they had no idea what they initially were.
"I was just doing the dishes and noticed strange orange dots all over my glass sliding door," resident Crystal Lea told Yahoo News Australia. "I went to investigate and turned my verandah light on and they were everywhere, all over the walls, ceiling and windows."
Lea later discovered they were monolepta or 'red-shoulder leaf' beetles — a pest well-known to other locals.
Beetle swarm 'stunk so bad'
Not only was the sheer number of beetles frightening, but the smell was incredibly unpleasant too, the Lismore local said. "They stunk so bad and left tiny poo spots everywhere," she recalled to Yahoo.
Beetles cause havoc to yards
Many in the area have had to contend with these intruders which, at this time of year, often arrive in their millions when a food source is detected.
"I found out they were drawn here because of a flowering tree known as a crepe myrtle and they devoured all the purple flowers that night," Lea said, explaining they disappeared as quickly as they arrived once the flowers were eaten.
Another resident nearby admitted she too had a "big clean up" on her hands after she was visited by a similarly large swarm of beetles. Meanwhile plenty of other locals said their rose bushes and other plants fell victim to the swarm also.
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The beetles are commonly found in northern Australia as they prefer warm and dry climates. There are no known predators effective against high populations of these beetles, according the Queensland government website. Therefore pesticides are the only tool residents can use to get rid of the beetles, or simply wait for them to move on by themselves.
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