Working a bug out!

[farmerdl]

A few weeks back one of my GTRs sprung a gas leak. Seemed to be leaking right out of the petcock.  Turned out the fuel line had a split right where it slips onto the barb fitting.  So I just pulled it off and left it that way until I got around to changing it.  Went to ride it yesterday and soon after I started it I had a steady flow of gas out of the carb with the new line.  So I parked it and took another bike. 
   Took it apart this morning not really too sure what I would find because these had been my last set of nos carbs and they should not  have any wear.  Everything looked ok. The float was fine. The needle didn't seem to stick so I pulled the needle seat out and looked at it.  Here was a little reddish brown beetle (deceased) not quite 1/8 inch long in the needle seat. 
   The only thing I can figure is that he crawled down that gas line into the carb while the gas line was off.  Has anyone else had anything like that?

[Tom Meadows]

Earwigs are more common in my experience, and I've found paint flecks from the tank and lint in needle seats as well. How they actually got there only they know.. but get there they did!.

[BRT-GTR]

          These little blighters will get in anywhere  .
     One of my GTRs (US import) came with two wasp or hornet nests in the headlamp shell, via a missing neutral lamp holder.

       Once had a problem with dirt repeatedly getting into the float bowl of a ford carb, including a grain of wheat !  How the hell did that get in there  , only solved the problem when I traced the carb bowl vent line to find the end was pointing forwards in a wheel arch cavity. Simply turned it to face backwards, sorted, no more dirt.

[slawsonb]

In-line filters will block most intrusions.
...bert