They’re in the curtains, they’re whispering secrets in the corners of the ceiling at night, and they’ve officially overstayed their overwintering. We’re two or so months into the Great Beetle Occupation of 2026, and while they’re a blessing to anyone with an aphid issue, most people in Arkansas with a vacuum cleaner and a grudge just calls them a nuisance. We are still searching for a lasting solution.
My theory is the mild winter, and the lull of our family’s pretty great humor and decent record collection, so far has made things quite hospitable for them. Everyone I know in Harkey Valley has these little stinkers in their home and no one has found a lasting remedy. According to the UofA Extension service they are an issue all across the state, and their large appetites and long list of potential prey sources have enabled a thriving, albeit problematic, population.
We are fortunate that they do very little structural harm, generally. But they are known to bite (I haven’t had the pleasure yet) and can cause problems for pets who try to eat them.
Vacuums and Prayers
Keeping them out of the houses, especially the May House and the Juniper House, has been a priority but quite the challenge.
In regards to those two houses, because many guests are sensitive to strong odors, I’ve refrained from using the suggested peppermint or citrus oil deterrent. Sealing up all entry points, as some suggest, is almost laughable. In fact, it is all the way laughable. Haha.
I’ve been mostly content to vacuum them up (especially when I have access to the house at the end of the day when the beetles sometimes gather in groups in the upper corners of the room, presumably whispering secrets to each other) and remove them from the house, and pray for understanding guests, whom we’ve been blessed with so far.
The Siren Song
One trick I have not tried is the light trap trick. One must mix dish soap with water in something wide open like a cake pan, and then place something like a reading lamp over it. The bug makes haste for the irresistible call of the warm light only to fall into the unforgiving, Dawny abyss below. I used this trick once many years ago when I lived in Fayetteville and had a flea problem the magnitude of which only an inattentive, young college student would let happen. I had limited success.
Have you tried this trick with any success?
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