Locust Borer??? or Hickory Borer???: Emerging from stored firewood

danielj

January 26th, 2008 at 1:00 am

Categories

mystery bug in New York
Hello,
I found this feller lying dead near my oven this evening. It was about 1.25″ inches long, maybe. I am not sure what it is. It looks like a cockroach in “layout”, yet the markings seem very unusual for a roach. Do you know what it is? If so, should I call an exterminator, or is it probably just a bug that came in and didn’t bring his whole family? Thanks very much!
Bradley in NYC

megacyllene bradley Locust Borer??? or Hickory Borer???: Emerging from stored firewood

Hi Bradley,
This is one of two species in the genus Megacyllene. It is either the Locust Borer, Megacyllene robiniae, or the Hickory Borer, Megacyllene caryae. The Locust Borer is generally found in the fall when the goldenrod blooms, while the Hickory Borer is most common in the spring. It is possible that this specimen has been dead in your house for some time, or it is possible that it was hibernating in the pupal form inside some cut firewood, and emerged in the warm house.

Thanks so much for your response. I wondered how such a bug could have gotten in here, but we do have a lot of cut firewood in our basement, which is right below my kitchen. Now it makes sense. My only other question is: can these things infest my place, or should I not really worry? There might be a few more, but there won’t be thousands, right? Thanks again for your kind help!
Bradley Price

Hi again Bradley,
Individuals may continue to emerge from the firewood, but they will not infest your home.