Herkimer the worlds largest beetle
Herkimer: World's Largest Beetle
Colorado Springs, Colorado
The world's largest beetle -- a 10-foot-high, 16-foot-long West Indian Hercules Beetle nicknamed "Herkimer" -- was built by John May in 1949 as a roadside eye-grabber for his May Museum of the Tropics.
The beetle achieved immortality when it was moved, along with the museum, to Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida. The moment was preserved in one of the best vintage postcards ever, with Florida bathing beauties (probably off-duty Weeki Wachee mermaids) languidly draped around the Big Bug, seemingly oblivious to its gam-crunching mandibles (although our knowledge of beetle anatomy, is at best, fuzzy).
The Florida museum closed in 1963 and the beetle was returned to its current spot. It has faithfully served as a directional write ever since, no doubt waiting for a freak solar burst or radioactive cloud to deliver it life so that it can wreak bug havoc on its next unlucky tormentor.
A genuine bug this size would uplift terror, but over the years this replica became vandalized with graffiti and had its legs ripped off. It was occasionally patched and repainted, but complete inspection revealed the wear and tear of time: ski
Herkimer Returns: the world's largest beetle returns home
COLORADO SPRINGS — After more than a month of restoration and reassembly, the gigantic 16x10-foot beetle statue known as Herkimer has made a go back to the side of Mention Highway 115.
The construct, originally handmade by John May in 1949, has been a feature on the side of the highway since the 1960s.
It serves as both a memorable local landmark and the most operative form of advertisement for the May Natural History Museum, a unique museum boasting thousands of exotic insect specimens and operated by May's family, generation after generation, for more than 60 years.
Over the long decades, wind, hail, snow, and vandals have taken their toll on the giant, roadside feature; and while it's undergone some small restoration in the past, it's been about 20 years since Herkimer has had any type of work done on it.
The process of deconstructing, revitalizing, reconstructing and then reinstalling the eye-catching insect involved the attempts of not just the May family but also the professional ministrations of artists from close and far.
The family flew in artist Mark Cline from Virginia who helped revitalize the larger pieces
Did You Know the World’s Largest Beetle Calls Colorado Home?
Bug enthusiasts might be intrigued to know that the world's largest beetle can be found in Colorado — sort of.
It may be the biggest beetle ever, but fortunately, this massive insect is in the form of a statue that stands proudly in front of the family-owned May Natural History Museum.
Fondly named Herkimer, the statue is a male specimen replica of the world’s largest beetle, Dynastes Hercules. The real Hercules beetles (thankfully) reside far away from Colorado in the West Indies. Although they are the biggest beetles on earth, they only get to be 8 inches long, not 10x16 feet like Herkimer.
The statue of Herkimer has been the trademark of the May Museum since 1952. John May, the owner of the entomology museum built the beetle himself in 1949.
At first, the giant beetle was part of the traveling May Tropical Exhibition and was housed in Florida during that time. When that exhibit closed in 1963, Herkimer was transported back to Colorado Springs, where he's now stood for more than 60 years.
The beetle has unfortunately been vandalized with gra
World’s Largest Beetle Statue: world record in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States--A 10-foot-high, 16-foot-long West Indian Hercules Beetle nicknamed "Herkimer", built byJohn Mayas a roadside eye-grabber for hisMay Museum of the Tropicsin Colorado Springs, Colorado; R.J. Steer, John May's grandson, enlisted the help of fiberglass artist Mark Cline (builder of Buck Atom) to give the beetle a complete restoration; the giant beetle sets the world record for being theWorld’s Largest Beetle Statue, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.
"While we’re on the subject of “the world’s largest,” it is critical to mention Herkimer, the world’s largest beetle located near Colorado Springs. Heading south out of town on CO-115, motorists can visit Herkimer at the intersection with Rock Creek Canyon Rd, in Rock Creek Park," theUncover Coloradoreports.
"As a somewhat scary, oversized recreation of a West Indian Hercules Beetle, Herkimer is the unofficial mascot for the May Natural History Museum just up the road. Incredibly, the beetle even survived a road trip of its own, when it was trans
Colorado Springs, Colorado: Herkimer: World's Largest Beetle
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The Beetle is behind a barbed wire fence. You can get close, but you can't get in front. Be careful climbing the hill, because it's covered with ground cactus.
[Steve Braun, 02/25/2023]The enormous beetle now has a barbed wire fence around it and a sign stating CLOSED. This may refer to the bug or the May Museum, it is unclear which. The fence makes it hard for a close-up photo opportunity. But someone has put in a modern, cindered parking area below the hill so that it is easier to park to access and view the bug.
[Sheri A, 04/20/2013]Just south of Colorado Springs, there is a huge statue of a Hercules beetle at the entrance to this combination campground/insect museum/space museum. We spent the night at the campground overlooking the Rockies and toured the "bug" museum. Unfort