LOST E-MAIL: Our e-mail gurus have checked and re-checked our
computer system, and tell us everything is operating smoothly.
However, we have noticed a steep drop in e-mail being sent to us
for ‘Round the Square.

Our problem, of course, is we have no way of knowing if you sent
us an e-mail and we didn’t receive it.

Except this method, of course. The old-fashioned way.

If you have sent us an electronic note and have not seen
anything in the column, please call us and let us know. Or write us
a letter.

BUG ID: Rene Gustafson of Bradford dropped by with a container
with a bug inside. And it is a dandy.

Insert photo here.

Fortunately, the bug was already dead – or it would have been in
short order anyway.

As you can see, the bug was about 2 1/2 inches long.

It looks to us like some kind of beetle although guesses ranged
from cockroach to catydid to cicadas. None of these possible
identities are correct, however.

We googled an insect site that even shows illustrations that can
help you make a correct ID but none seemed to fit the exact profile
of our dead bug. We theorized that perhaps its antennae or a leg or
two may have been knocked off in handling, making it harder to
identify with any certainty.

In any case, we’re turning to our readers now. We also appeal to
the experts at the Cooperative Extension Service who seem to know
all things about all creepy, crawly things.

GET THIS: As if by magic, a press release about a new bug
“publication” appeared in our e-mail folder. Better yet, it was
from the Cooperative Extension Service.

It’s called, “Identifying Common Household Insects in
Pennsylvania,” and it aims to help homeowners identify common
insects found in the home.

It is available as a downloadable PDF file off the Cooperative
Extension website, and hard copies can be obtained by contacting
them by phone. We would download one to identify our bug but, alas,
we have too many “bugs” in our computer system to manage that
task.