There are twenty Manitoba maple (acer negundo) trees between our house and the road. They are not a hardwood tree like the maples of Eastern Canada, but still useful as ornamental and shade trees and perfect for young boys to climb. It is possible to make maple syrup from the sap of Manitoba maples, but it takes a lot longer to boil off the extra water. The leaves are similar to the leaves of hardwood maples, except the three lobes are separated.

Despite the picturesque quality of the trees, there is a time when they are so well-loved. That time is now, when the beetles (Boisea trivittata) that have been developing unseen on the trees all summer reach the mature stage and go looking for a warm winter home.

We try to keep them out of the house by sealing every crack and by repeated spraying of a residual insecticide. Some still get in.

And thus begins a season of something approaching paranoia. Is that a crumb on the floor? Or is it moving? Quick, get the hand vac!

Of course, if the crumb is seen on the wall, the ceiling, a window or a curtain, there is no doubt as to what it is.

And as I sit at my computer with a cup of coffee on the desk, I take the little ceramic coaster and place it upside down on top of the coffee cup. I don’t want to repeat the experience of last year when I almost swallowed one of those maple beetles.