Are Beetles Taking Over Ocean County?

It's usually mosquitoes or those little annoying flying, tiny bugs at night that annoy..but last night it was the beetles.  I was literally being attacked.

I was sitting out on my patio last night and kept getting whipped by these flying things.  I didn't realize what they were right away.  At around 8:00 pm they were taking over the patio.  And they hurt when they'd land on me and feel so much bigger than they really are.  I'm not sure why they're so bad this year.  Or why they're taking over my back-yard?  Any thoughts?

They're all over the umbrella!  Why are so many beetles this year?

How do I get rid of the beetles?  Why does it seem like there are more this year than ever?