Over 50 years ago, on February 9th, an up and coming British band performed on the Ed Sullivan show. That band? The Beatles. That performance helped to launch The Beatles’ rise to fame and the “Beatlemania” that swept the world. In order to honor their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, we thought it would be fun to match each band member with their real-life beetle counterpart.
John Lennon
John Lennon was one of the co-lead vocalists of The Beatles and considered by many to be the defacto leader. While opinions can vary from fan to fan, Lennon may be considered to be the most notorious band member. There are several notable things about Lennon, the most unique are probably his round glasses, which he commonly wore. Because of the iconic shape o f those glasses, the two-spotted lady beetle is Lennon's real-life beetle counterpart. Unlike other lady beetles, also known as ladybugs, that may be covered in multiple spots, the two-spotted lady beetle almost always has two distinct, symmetrical black spots—much like Lennon's round glasses.
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney was the other co-lead vocalist of The Beatles. He and John Lennon were known for their distinct songwriting abilities and collaboration. One famous song that has been credited mostly to McCartney is “Paperback Writer.” According to McCartney, the idea came about because he wanted to write something about books, specifically paperback books. Therefore, McCartney's beetle counterpart is a beetle that may eat books—the drugstore beetle. Most of the damage caused by the drugstore beetle occurs during its larval stage when they consume stored products or medications.
Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr was The Beatles’ drummer. His beetle counterpart is the click beetle. And that’s because the click beetle is long—you might even say like a drumstick—and makes clicking noises when disturbed. This hap pens when click beetles are on their back and are attempting to right themselves. They snap their thoracic segments in order to turn over in the air onto their front—and in the process create a clicking sound. While the larvae, referred to as wireworms, are much smaller and do not exhibit the same clicking behavior, they are also quite long and cylindrical in shape.
George Harrison
George Harrison was The Beatles’ lead guitarist. During his time in the band, Harrison was a master guitar player, playing that wooden instrument for all it was worth. Certain beetles are also known for getting all they can out of wood—including the powderpost beetle. In fact, powderpost beetles have been known to damage wooden musical instruments on occasion and for their wood-boring behavior. In fact, powderpost beetles are only second to termites in the damage they can cause to wood. Infestations of powderpost beetles can take a long time to develop as the beetles larvae slowly chew through wood. In fact, it can sometimes take years to notice the damage. That’s why it’s important to take action and contact a professional was soon as you suspect you may be dealing with this type of beetle.
While we’ll gladly celebrate “Beatlemania,” it’s safe to say no one wants to celebrate the other option, beetlemania. If you want to learn more about beetles, you're in the right place.
