Mating Borer Beetles

danielj

June 22nd, 2007 at 12:00 am

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We just moved into a new house. We live in Los Angeles, CA. We have been here for 6 weeks and for the last week these bugs have been showing up. They fly. They only hang in one area of the house. The two front windows. the windows are always shut so I have no idea how they get in. The windows are near a fire place. maybe there is a crack that we can’t see?? But we never see them come in the other doors and there aren’t any near any other windows or doors in the house. We found these two tonight and it looks like there may be some mating thing involved… Do you know what they are? How can we get them to stop coming in the house? Do they live in the house? Oh no!
Holland and Yvonne

beetles mating Mating Borer Beetles

Hi Holland and Yvonne,
These appear to be some species of wood boring beetle, but we would like to get Eric Eaton’s opinion before you panic.

Update (06/25/2007)
Here is Eric Eaton’s response: “Daniel: This is a pair of longhorn beetles (family Cerambycidae), possibly the “old house borer,” Xylotruped bajalus, or the “rutic borer,” Xylotrechus colonus. Both are known for emerging from structural timber indoors, and also from firewood (in the case of Xylotrechus anyway). They aren’t likely to re-infest the home, so I wouldn’t panic. Might take a couple specimens to a local entomologist for verification of my ID, though, as it is hard to tell from the shadowy image exactly what they are beyond family level. Eric”

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Comments 1

Adrian Ruicanescu wrote:
This species belongs undoubtedly to the genus Xylotrechus, being very similar with the European species Xylotrechus rusticus.
Adrian, Romania.
Posted 15 May 2009 at 1:11 pm ¶