IN 1957, the Boy Scouts of America held a National Jamboree at Valley Forge Park, Pa. Of interest to otolaryngologists was the fact that during the scouts' one week stay, adult beetles (Scarabaeidae) entered the external ear canals of 186 sleeping boy scouts.1
The most frequent invader during the 1957 Jamboree, was the Asiatic garden beetle (Autoserica castanea). This beetle is approximately 9 mm long and 5 mm wide. It is a uniform cinnamon-brown color and comes out to feed only at night. It is attracted to light and is capable of flight. This insect is found along the entire Atlantic seaboard from Massachusetts to South Carolina. It is usually found in grassy areas, and Valley Forge Park represents about 3,000 acres of grass-covered terrain. The population of this beetle is dependent in part upon the rainfall of the previous summer. In 1949, the Philadelphia area had a relatively