Tags
Amamanggi, वर्मपंखी गण, Beetles, Beetles are Best, Biller, Brouci, Coleoptera, 甲虫類, De dode kever die toch levend bleek te zijn, Die-hard Beetle, Тврдокрилци, Твърдокрили, 딱정벌레목, 鞘翅目, Hoe kun je checken of een kever dood is?, How can one tell a beetle is dead?, How can you tell a beetle is dead?, How to save a beetle from drowning?, How to tell a beetle is dead?, Κολεόπτερα, Käfer, Kevers (Coleoptera), Koleopteroj, Kın kanatlılar, L'escarabacho d'a cheta, Maggiolino, May Bugs, May-bugs (Melolontha melolontha), Meikever, Meikevers, Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines), Sərtqanadlılar, The beetle who wasn't dead after all, قاببالان, Wanneer is een kever dood?, When is a beetle readlly dead?, חיפושיות, خنفساء
May-Bugs, coloured pencils, copyright Paula Kuitenbrouwer 2010
I found a Carabidae beetle in a bucket with water and regretted its death by drowning. I showed it to my daughter and husband, because it was beautiful purplish. After that, I put it next to my drawing pad, for making a sketch of it.
It lay there for at least an hour and I hoped so much it would give a sign of life. Then I did the most crazy thing imaginable; I turned it on its back, squeezed it gently, and gave it heart massage (don’t ask). Three drops of water came out. I have no clue why I did such a weird thing. Would somebody tell me he or she had given cardiac massage to a beetle, I would have laughed out loud.
I drank tea and continued drawing. When I was about to start sketching the beetle, I was surprised it had lost its rigor mortis. I arranged my pencils and got distracted by household duties.
About two hours later, I positioned the dead beetle in such way that I could make a sketch, as if it looked alive. Did I see its antennae moving? Surely not, that must have been wishful seeing. ‘Mum, it isn’t dead’, my daughter said. I asked her how could she tell? (How can you tell a beetle is dead?) Her answer was: ‘Because you keep fussing over it’.
Some time after that, to my surprise the beetle started to give very subtle signs of life. That was about 4 to 5 hours after I found it floating in a cold bucket with water. I was delighted. I phoned my brother who knows more about nature than I do. He offered a simple explanation: ‘Your beetle must have suffered hypothermia by laying a whole night in cold water’. But what about my crazy heart massage and noticing these drops of water coming out of it? ‘No clue’, replied my brother, ‘It might have helped. We know very little about bugs and beetles apart from that they are real survivors’.
My rescued beetle, barely on its feet again but with active antennae (photo Paula). Carabidae, Pterostichus nigrita, ‘Loopkever’ in Dutch.
It took me another two days of caring for the beetle till it had enough strength to crawl away over our terrace.
The morale of this story? If you, a beetle-fan, find a beetle and you think it is drowned or dead, allow it time. If it had a swim, squeeze it gently to get the water out and keep it in a place with normal temperature. There is a chance it will start walking over your desk or drawing pad. Trust me, you’ll notice that one rescued beetle can make you hugely happy.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawing regular postcards or smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com
Wonderful…who can deny the beauty of the Great Creator’s world…bugs and all…
Hi, ME and the Boss. The photo regrettably doesn’t show its beautiful, iridescent purple glow.
When I’d did put it outside my husband said: ‘Make sure, that after all your care, a bird won’t snatch it away in an instant’.
What a wonderful real story, like a fairy tale.
Should I call you Mrs. Doolittle? 
All the best, Martina
Haha…well I didn’t talk with it! Don’t you think giving it cardiac massage is weird enough?
Wow, what great experience!
You make me laugh, Sybille. Taking into account we are talking one bug…one could better say; ‘What a great insignificant experience’.
It is a great story, and not at all insignificant – certainly not for the beetle. I was hoping the story would finish happily but wasn’t entirely expecting it, even though…
Among the many things I like about your drawings is that they are so typically full of life. I should have known!
I love this composition Paula ! I love the colors ! The details ! These animals ! It reminds me the Motherhood somehow, with the cows and trees at the back. What is this cow doing, the one who almost lays on the other?
And I love your stroy ! I imagine you giving a heart massage to the beetle. But I promise. Next time I see one, I will follow your example!
The cows are taking a rest. The May Bugs show their active life above the ground. After being larvae in the soil for about 3 years, they crawl out to live in the woodlands, meadows, parks and gardens for about 7 weeks. They eat, mate, and the females crawl back in the dirt, 2 to 3 times, to lay eggs. Then, if they have survived owls, birds, cars and humans, they die.
Well, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard of someone giving a heart massage to a beetle. I wonder if it really made a difference.
The artwork is lovely. Such wonderful detail and color.
(We have a ton of Box Elder Bugs around here. We have seen them trapped and frozen in ice over the winter, and when then ice thaws, they come to life!)
Well that proves bugs and beetles can handle a lot of cold without dying. I remember from a nature documentary that some desert bugs can survive years without water too. They are quite unbelievable creatures.
You are right of course that the cardiac massage didn’t make a difference, maybe only the warmth of my hand, holding the bug, might have speed up its recovery. Maybe even that didn’t make any difference: this was just one of those die-hard beetles. Beetles are best!
Just goes to show whenever you think you’ve heard it all something will come along and prove you haven’t. Never thought I’d read a story where I was rooting for the bug to be alive. Well done!!
Haha…Linda, if you had seen its luminous bluish-purple colour, you would have done crazier things than I did. And you would have designed a wonderful bluish illustration with a much better story that goes with it. Yes..you would have done that because, like me, we start behaving strangely when we are enchanted by colours and beautiful creatures.
I love the bug drawing/painting and I especially love the “happy ending”
Thank you, Celeste.
Beetles are tough and stubborn creatures. Why do you think they are the most diverse order in the animal World? My Entomology students hate to colect beetles because they are so hard to sacrifice and very often “wake up” even after days of having been pinned!
Welcome, Carlos, and many thanks for your comment, although I must say it is telling a rather gruesome fact.
I must confess I’m selective in my bug and beetle love. I like Stag Beetles and May Bugs and Rhinoceros bugs and even these cute weevils. I like bumble bees and flower flies too. However, yesterday I’d noticed a cockroach in a building and although I admire its survival skills, I rather see it dead. And that is because we’ve all learned from early age that some bugs carry diseases, bite and are therefore harmful. Anyway, hurray to pretty beetles that aren’t harmful.
Your art is wonderful, Paula, but I doubt I will be massaging any beetles. I love that it made you so happy though. It was a great story!
Yes, it made me happy that my dead, beauty beetle that lay next to my drawing pad started to wiggle its antennae. It makes me also very happy that I’ll soon walk through our woodlands and see people massaging beetles. I will not stop laughing!
Paula, this is a beautiful drawing and such a delightful story. Charming! I absolutely love it. I’m so glad you decided to share it here.
Happy days …
Thank you, Jamie. I’m sure you would have made a poem to express your Beetle-amazement.
… and so I did.
Pingback: OCTOBER 19, 2012: On Regretting Its Death by Drowning | THE WRITER BY DAY
Reblogged this on INTO THE BARDO and commented:
As if Paula’s art isn’t delight enough, here she treats us to a story of nature and connection. Her opening line is pure poetry and she shares her garden’s tranquility in the soft colors of her drawing. She’s one of my all-time faves. Jamie Dedes
Paula, I think I jumped the gun on this. I forgot that your drawing would come up in the reblog. I did add a tag on it – which you can’t see here – that you are a professional and this is your living. Be respectful. The piece is copyrighted and so on. However, if you would prefer I take it down I will. Let me know.
Your reverence for life is astounding. Your bog is beautiful.
Wow! Beetle CPR! What a great story. Made my morning
…of course, this is my most cherished post. I could read it over and over.
Next May, when the May-bugs are out and about, I’ll be saving many more compared to last year. Those big clumsy May beetles are left for dead when they are lying on their backs. Like sheep, ones lying on their back, they can’t turn back and get on their feet again. Now I will know that even if they look dead and give no signs of life, they might only need a few hours to recuperate. Beetles are amazing.