A northwestern Pennsylvania pool owner turned to Reddit after repeatedly finding a surprising number of dead beetles in the skimmer. The internet's verdict: June bugs, the famously clumsy scarabs that seem to treat backyard lights and swimming pools like a bad obstacle course.
In a post on r/whatisthisbug, the pool owner said the beetles were about half an inch long and shared that they had found "so many dead in the skimmer at once" on several different occasions.
Commenters quickly identified the insects as June bugs, also called May beetles in some places, with one user suggesting they could be Phyllophaga fusca, a species in the scarab family. But the bugs' reputation got almost as much attention as their name.
Several commenters described the beetles as harmless but hilariously bad at flying, with one person calling them "kamikaze pilots" and another saying they "act blind when they fly." A more practical explanation also emerged: the pool itself may be part of the problem.
Users suggested that artificial lighting in or around the pool is likely attracting the beetles at night, drawing them toward the water and leaving them trapped in the skimmer.
While finding a pile of dead beetles in your pool setup is definitely unpleasant, June bugs are mostly just a nuisance for homeowners. They do not bite, sting, or pose much direct danger, but they can make summer evenings more annoying by dive-bombing people, smacking into doors, and piling up in pool skimmers.
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Human-made spaces can unintentionally create hazards for wildlife, even in suburban backyards. A bright pool light or porch light may seem harmless, but for nocturnal insects, it can become a powerful lure. Add a man-made body of water, and the result can be repeated insect deaths that look baffling from the human side.
That may help explain why the Pennsylvania pool owner saw the same thing happen more than once. Commenters noted that June bug populations can vary widely from year to year, and one Reddit commenter said the adult beetles live only a short time, while the larvae remain underground for years before emerging.
It's a small example of how everyday home features can change animal behavior, something that also comes up in broader conversations about wildlife-friendly yards and outdoor spaces.
If June bugs are turning up in a pool, the simplest fix may be reducing what attracts them in the first place. Multiple commenters suggested turning off pool lights at night when they are not needed, since the beetles appear to be drawn to those bright light sources. Homeowners can also cut back on unnecessary outdoor lighting.
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One commenter put it, June bugs are "absolutely harmless," but that there's "not a scintilla of survival instinct in that thing."
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