# Why did the June bugs get the short end of the evolutionary stick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2004, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783 "2004-06-23T11:37:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/1 "2004-06-23T11:37:43Z")
Seriously, I’ve whatched these things. They fly in the most clumbsy fachion; constantly bumping into things. When they land nine times out of ten they land on their backs and it takes them forever to get back up on their feet again. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/2 "2004-06-23T11:48:30Z")
Well, the short end of the evolutionary stick is extinction. As for why they’re clumsy as hell, They emerge for a short time, congregate, and dissappear. I would imagine they’ve evolved to have a high body mass for some reason that gave them an advantage over the proto-june bugs with smaller bodies, but the rest of their attributes haven’t caught up yet (wing size, co-ordination, etc) Just a guess though. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/3 "2004-06-23T12:05:03Z")
Evolution doesn’t make ‘perfect’ creatures. It makes creatures that successfully survive to reproduce. And these insects have developed a life cycle that makes it unnecessary for them to be good flyers in their adult stage. It only lasts a few weeks or even days, and their only job during that time is to mate, lay eggs (for the females), and die. Hence, there’s very little evolutionary pressure to develop outstanding flying skills … ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/4 "2004-06-23T13:36:34Z")
“Evolution” doesn’t do anything. Whatever happens\*\* is \*\* evolution. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/5 "2004-06-23T13:54:11Z")
Hey, it’s hard to fly when you’re busting out all over. RR ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/6 "2004-06-23T16:10:58Z")
I thought they evolved the way they did to keep me amused when I worked at my dad’s store as a kid because they were fun to swat out of the air with a broom. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/7 "2004-06-23T16:15:26Z")
Evolutionary Rule of Thumb #1: If a species is flourishing, it did not get the “short end” of anything. Regardless what traits _we_ may think should or should not work, unless the species is extinct, that species’ traits obviously work well enough for them, and are thus evolutionarily viable. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/8 "2004-06-23T16:25:18Z")
Every mating year, there are billions of the vile pests polluting our skies with their raucous noise and their noisome bodies. I’d say that’s getting the long end of the stick. Evolution doesn’t care about asthetics or intelligence. Evolution cares about success, and the june bug is an unqualified success. Anyway, we’ve all lost to the _E. coli_ bacterium. Trillions upon trillions of times over, and on our own fields. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/9 "2004-06-23T16:38:44Z")
> [@Darwin's Finch](#): > > Evolutionary Rule of Thumb #1: If a species is flourishing, it did not get the “short end” of anything. > > Regardless what traits _we_ may think should or should not work, unless the species is extinct, that species’ traits obviously work well enough for them, and are thus evolutionarily viable. And, to hijack this slightly, this is why eugenics is a bad idea. We know how to breed for a few selected characteristics but don’t have onla a vague idea, in advance, as to what is needed for survival in an environment. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/10 "2004-06-23T17:00:11Z")
Evolution doesn’t “know” either. Evolution is just what we label all the stuff that happens. Some works…some doesn’t. All the successes and failures is labeled by us as ‘evolution’. If we tinker…that is part of evolution. If we wipe out every species from tinkering, in reflection, that is evolution. If we don’t…that is evolution. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/11 "2004-06-23T17:10:46Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Evolution doesn’t “know” either. Evolution is just what we label all the stuff that happens. Some works…some doesn’t. All the successes and failures is labeled by us as ‘evolution’. > > If we tinker…that is part of evolution. If we wipe out every species from tinkering, in reflection, that is evolution. If we don’t…that is evolution. As I said, in the thread on faith, intelligent design and evolution, chance provides an almost endless variety of possibilities through mutation and natural selection is a filter that removes the bad ideas. DISCLOSURE: This thought is stolen and not original with me. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/12 "2004-06-23T17:36:46Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > As I said, in the thread on faith, intelligent design and evolution, chance provides an almost endless variety of possibilities through mutation and natural selection is a filter that removes the bad ideas. I would say that that is an incorrect characterization of how natural seelction works. Were it the case that NS only served to cull the weak, then mutation would become, by necessity, the creative force of evolution - that is, evolution would actually driven by mutation itself, not by selection. However, NS operates _also_ by enhancing beneficial traits. Recall that the definition of NS relies on the fact that those individuals who have an _advantage_ tend to leave more offspring, thus increasing the frequency of that trait in the general population. This is the whole point behind the concept of “adaptation”, after all. Natural selection, then, acts both as sculptor _and_ Grim Reaper; it weeds out what doesn’t work, _and_ enhances what does. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/13 "2004-06-23T17:51:47Z")
> [@Darwin's Finch](#): > > I would say that that is an incorrect characterization of how natural seelction works. OK, it’s your field and I can’t argue. But could we say “incomplete?” I like that a lot better than “incorrect” and seems to fit your explanation. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/14 "2004-06-23T17:54:30Z")
And, upon further thought, natural selection can be too good at enhancing characteristics in that species can become too precisely adapted to a particular environment, can’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/15 "2004-06-23T23:00:10Z")
“Incomplete” works for me (and I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily “my field”, since I’m by no means a practicing scientist or anything like that. I am an amateur by any stretch). And yes, it is possible for a species to become so well adapted that it basically sets itself up for possible extinction. Any specialist species is always going to be more susceptible to drastic environmental changes than will a generalist. However, in the good times, being a specialist can be _very_ good for the same species, and give it a significant advantage over less-specialized competing species. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/16 "2004-06-23T23:57:56Z")
Y’know, I think humans are about the only critters around here that don’t eat june bugs. June bugs are everyone’s favorite snack – birds snatch’m out of the air, little critters eat 'em off the ground… EVERYBODY gets to eat, too. Even critters that normally can’t catch bugs well, because the dumb bugs beat themselves stupid against any large stationary object; used to have a raccoon that showed up every night after dark to scarfle the ones that had beat their brains in on my back porch light. They don’t disappear after an active period. They get eaten in huge numbers, by anything out there that likes bug snacks. June bugs aren’t an evolutionary failure. On the contrary, their evolution benefits EVERYBODY! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/17 "2004-06-24T01:05:23Z")
> [@Master Wang-Ka](#): > > Y’know, I think humans are about the only critters around here that don’t eat june bugs. > [@](#): > > June Beetle-- Edible! > Look for these beetles, also known as may or june bugs, during the months of May through July. Don’t forget to pull off the hard shell, legs, and head before eating. The larva of the june beetle is also edible and is found in the soil year-round. From [NASA Survival Training-Edible Food](http://www1.edspace.nasa.gov/text/astroschool/survival/food.html) Um-m-m, good. A plate of beetles, washed down with a glass of _Tang_. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Jokers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@Jokers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jokers)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/18 "2018-06-06T13:11:23Z")
I’ve come to one conclusion: most of you are pompous bleepholes. Your use of air quotes and your arrogance are so repulsive it’s not even funny! Only a few of you answered this users questions without sass and shade. Way to live up to the stereotype of the nerd pushing his glasses further up his brow and saying “actually it’s…” just great job fellas. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-june-bugs-get-the-short-end-of-the-evolutionary-stick/251783/19 "2018-06-06T13:59:45Z")
**Moderator Action** Welcome to the SDMB, **Jokers**. Please note that we do not allow insults directed towards other users or attacks against other users in this forum. Also, please note that the thread you are replying to dates back to 2004. Many of the thread’s original participants are no longer active on this board. It would probably be a good idea for you to familiarize yourself with the rules of this message board before continuing to post here. Continued rule violations will result in the loss of your posting privileges. Since this is a very old thread and no new factual content has been added, this is closed.