Large black beetle
Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Hi there,
I was wondering if you could tell me what this bug is? I don’t think that I have ever seen one quite like this before. Plus I thought that my husband took an excellent picture of it and wanted to share with you. This creature is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long without the appendage that is sticking out.
Katie Thibeault
Hooksett, NH
Broad-Necked Root Borer
Hi Katie,
This is a female Broad-Necked Root Borer, Prionus laticollis. The appendage is her ovipositor and she uses it to deposit eggs in the ground.
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Posted 07 July 2009
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Orange and Black Bug
Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 10:13 AM
We were enjoying a 4th of July BBQ in Cave Creek, AZ when this guy decided to join us. Right after I snapped the picture on my iPhone (attached) he flew away. His body was about an inch long. Can you help me figure out what kind of bug this is?
Desert Knight’s Ranch
Cave Creek, AZ
Long Jawed Longhorn Beetle
This really is an attractive Cerambycid or Longhorned Borer Beetle. We searched on BugGuide until we properly identified it as a Long Jawed Longhorn Beetle, Trachyderes mandibularis. It is found from Texas to California and south to Guatemala. Also, according to BugGuide, “Males have particularly long mandibles” which would indicate that perhaps your beetle is a female. It seems that females of the Long Jawed Longhorn Beetle have antennae nearly as long as those of the males.
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Posted 07 July 2009
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A beetle like insect with really long antennae.
Sat, Jul 4, 2009 at 7:20 PM
I have no idea what this bug is. It was so intriguing, however, I took about 40 pictures of it! I think it’s a beetle, since it can fly and its wings are hidden under a hard shell. It had black and white stripes.
Please identify this bug!
Grants Pass, Oregon
Banded Alder Borer
Your insect is a Banded Alder Borer, Rosalia funebris, which is sometimes called a California Laurel Borer, but according to Charles Hogue in Insects of the Los Angeles Basin “it does not use California laurel (Umbellaria species) as a primary host.” According to BugGuide, the “Larvae feed in dead hardwood trees: maple, alder, oak, willow, etc.” Some borer beetles attack living trees, but this is not the case with the Banded Alder Borer.
Banded Alder Borer
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Posted 06 July 2009
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A Flying Beetle?
Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 10:06 AM
Dear Bugman,
This lovely creature buzzed my face twice right in my eyes before flying slowly over to the wild grapevine and landing. It then waited for me to get a camera, but this was the best pic I could manage before it took off again. It’s about 1.5″ long, irridescent black-blue-green with an orange upper back. In the same backyard visit I saw a gorgeous dark-orange butterfly I’ve never seen before, but she wouldn’t land to pose for a pic. 
Thanks, Elizabeth
Western Massachusetts, a backyard not far from a marshy thicketed area.
Elderberry Borer
Hi Elizabeth,
Earlier today, we posted another photo of mating Elderberry Borers, Desmocerus palliatus, the same species as your photo.
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Posted 04 July 2009
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huge beetle!
Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 1:01 PM
Super huge beetle (at least for the northeast), swollen-looking yellow belly (mama beetle, maybe?), periodically leans forward completely on its head and projects this bizarre pointed appendage from its backside….very weird. I’ve never seen anything like this.
Sasha
Philadelphia, PA
Broad Necked Root Borer
Hi Sasha,
Your female beetle is a Broad Necked Root Borer, Prionus laticollis, and the appendage is her ovipositor which she uses to deposit her eggs. According to BugGuide: “Eggs are inserted into ground (or under litter) in groups. Larvae tunnel downward to feed on living roots of a variety of trees and shrubs. At first they may feed on bark, but then proceed to hollow out small roots. Pupation occurs in spring, about 10 cm under the ground. Life cycle probably three years.”
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Posted 04 July 2009
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What is this beetle?
Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 5:43 PM
This insect was seen crossing blacktop in in early July. Help me identify it please!
Jason
Lebanon, Pa
Purplescent Longhorn
Dear Jason,
It took a short time for us to properly identify this striking Cerambycid on BugGuide, but we have identified it as Purpuricenus humeralis. The species has no common name, but the genus is known collectively as Purplescent Longhorns. This is a new species for our website and we are very thrilled to post your photo.
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Posted 04 July 2009
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Blue and Yellow Beetle?
Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 5:35 AM
Hi, My husband noticed these beetles all over a small tree in our backyard there are all mating and seem content to stay there doing just that… ther are kind of pretty but I am worried that they are not native to Newfoundland Canada.
Angela
Newfoundland Canada
Elderberry Borers Mating
Fear not Angela,
The Elderberry Borer, Desmocerus palliatus, is a native insect. Considering the reported range of this Cerambycid Beetle, from Oklahoma to the east coast, and considering its striking beauty, we do not get as many reports as we would expect. According to BugGuide, the habitat is “Swampy areas and edges of streams with host plant” and not many people live in swampy areas, so that might explain the dearth of identification requests. BugGuide also has this information: “Adults feed on pollen, found on flowers, especially those of elderberry, Sambucus. Life Cycle Larvae feed on elderberry, Sambucus . Eggs are laid on stems, near base of plant. Larvae burrow into stems and then tunnel down to feed on living roots. “ We are very happy to be able to post your wonderful photo of a mating pair of Elderberry Borers.
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Posted 03 July 2009
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Large green beetle, orange legs, long antennae?
Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 1:52 PM
I found this large green metallic beetle in my oak tree. I have never seen a beetle like this one before, and was wondering if you could tell me what it is! The body itself was about 3-3.5″ long, and the antennae nearly doubled its length. The legs are also very long and a verigated orange color. Any info would be very appreciated!
Amy G.
Seminole, Oklahoma
Bumelia Borer
Hi Amy,
There are many beautiful Long Horned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae, but the Bumelia Borer, Plinthocoelium suaveolens, is one of the more beautiful North American species. According to BugGuide: “Larvae are trunk and root borers of Tupelo ( Nyssa ), Bumelia , and Mulberry ( Morus ). Adults are attracted to UV lights and bait.”
Thank you very much for your reply! It was a very beautiful bug. I darn near killed myself trying to get away from it when it flew towards me, LOL! By the way, it’s near impossible to pull your head/neck down inside your body to avoid a bug flight path!
Amy G.
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Posted 03 July 2009
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Larger than normal for Berkeley
Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 4:39 PM
I’ve found the insects here in Berkeley to be generally fewer and less varied than where I grew up in rural Wisconsin. But a few weeks before I move back to the midwest this one turned up on my bedroom ceiling two nights ago. I’ve never before seen one in Berkeley. The body is 1 inch long and 0.25″ inch wide, and each antenna is 1.25″. I kept her occupied with a raisin during the photoshoot, which she seemed to appreciate. What is it?
Finally something large and not a crane fly
Berkeley, CA
Eucalyptus Borer
Hi Finally,
This is a Eucalyptus Borer in the genus Phoracantha. There are two species with the same common name. Phoracantha recurva and Phoracantha semipunctata were both accidentally introduced from Australia. The two species are quite similar and we don’t feel qualified to determine which of the species you have found. The larvae bore in the wood of eucalyptus trees.
Update:
Thank you for the response! Between those two, it seems to be clearly a Phoracantha semipunctata, based on the description and P. semipunctata photo here…
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7425.html
…and the P. recurva photo here…
http://www.barkbeetles.org/browse/subject.cfm?SUB=12355
– Finally
yellow striped long horned beetle
Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 5:02 PM
i found this in Northern VT it is a long horned beetle of some kind, but its yellow striped pattern doesn’t look like any i know.
Ryan
Northern VT
Sugar Maple Borer
Dear Ryan,
We have countless chores to do today, like painting window frames and cleaning the garage, but we succumbed to the temptation to post just one more letter this morning. We are thrilled that we chose to open your letter as this is only the second image of a Sugar Maple Borer, Glycobius speciosus, we have posted in the 9 years we have been taking identification requests online. That image, submitted in July 2005 was of a smashed specimen. BugGuide has very little specific information other than: “Range Northeastern North America Habitat Deciduous forests with hostplant (sugar maples). Season June-August
Life Cycle Larvae mine under bark of Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum .” BugGuide also has six photos representing four different sightings. This would indicate that the Sugar Maple Borer is not a common insect. Because the host tree is of economic importance, the USDA has a web page devoted to the control of the Sugar Maple Borer. The USDA describes the life history of the Sugar Maple Borer as “The sugar maple borer has a two-year life cycle. Most eggs are laid in midsummer in roughened bark locations-in cracks, under bark scales, or around wounds. Upon hatching, the larva makes a meandering mine beneath the bark. Mining continues until early fall when it excavates a shallow cell in the sapwood. Here it spends the winter. The following spring, the larva resumes mining, etching a deep groove in the sapwood. The mine partially encircles the bole or branch as it spirals upward. With the coming of winter, the second-year larva bores a J-shaped tunnel deep into the wood (Figure 1). In the tunnel’s far end, the larva forms a chamber for overwintering. Before spring pupation, the larva chews a hole to the outside through which it will emerge as an adult in June or July. “ We are also quite happy that the website indicates that control has to do with eliminating unhealthy trees and proper tree pruning and watering when the trees are decorative and NOT pesticides. Kudos to the USDA on that. ForestPests.org indicates: “Eggs are deposited in bark crevices, under bark scales, or around wounds, usually during July and August. The larvae feed beneath the bark. The insect spends the winter as a larvae in a chamber formed in the sapwood. The following spring, it resumes feeding. As the second winter approaches, the mature larvae bores deep into the wood and constructs a pupal cell. Before entering the cell, the larvae cuts an exit hole through which it will emerge as an adult in the spring. The adult is a robust, velvety-black beetle about an inch long. Its head is covered with fine, yellow hairs. Its back is marked with several yellow bands, those near the front forming a characteristic w-shaped design. The life cycle requires 2 years. “ Here at What’s That Bug? we have major issues with the classification of “pest” when in fact this beautiful native insect has survived for 1000s of years, and it has an important niche in the health of a forest, which includes the necessary removal of old growth. Congratulations of your wonderful sighting and thanks so much for sending your photos to our humble website.
Sugar Maple Borer
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Posted 01 July 2009
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Epicaerus Weevil on Milkweed???
Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 11:21 AM
Hello Daniel,
I can’t be sure, even after an hour and a half of looking for this “bug,” if a weevil it is or not. The snout says it is… Yes? No…?
These two photos (lightened for assistance in identification) were taken in farm country in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
The photo of the pair of red, black dotted, beetles (borer? blister?) was taken at the same time. I appreciate any assistance that you may be able give me.
Thank you so much for being there,
R.G. Marion
Bumble Flower Beetle
Hi R.G.,
Nice to hear from you again after so long. We actually believe the suspected weevil is a Bumble Flower Beetle, Euphoria inda, based on the appearance of its antennae. The photo is lacking details, but the basic outline of the form of the beetle and the antennae indicate that it is probably a Bumble Flower Beetle. There are clearer images on BugGuide which credits the following information to Blatchley: “Throughout the State (Indiana); frequent. March 20-August 17. On the first warm, sunny days of spring this “bumble flower-beetle” comes forth in numbers and flies close to the ground with a loud buzzing noise like that of a bumble-bee, for which it is often mistaken. When captured it defends itself by emitting a strong, pungent chlorine-like odor. A second brood is said to appear in September. The larva live in rotten wood, beneath chips and other woody debris. The adults are often found sucking the juices of roasting ears, peaches, grapes and apples, and sometimes do much damage. “
Red Milkweed Beetles Mating
We are quite certain your mating beetles are Red Milkweed Beetles or Milkweed Longhorns, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus. It is the first of the month now, and we always have problems with images posting at the beginning of the month. We will contact our web host and hopefully this will be corrected in the morning.
Beetle? Super long antennae and huge paws!
Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 5:46 PM
Hi WTB! I’ve attached several photos of what I think may be a kind of Longhorn Beetle. We found it hanging out on our screenroom one very hot day. He was just as curious of us as we were of him, watching us and moving as we did. I have wetlands and woods behind my house.
Allyson in Florida
Pensacola, FL
Southern Pine Sawyer
Hi Allyson,
This is one of the Pine Sawyers in the genus Monochamus, most likely Monochamus titillator, the Southern Pine Sawyer based on photos and information posted to Bugguide which states: “larvae bore in sapwood of pine logs held in storage or pines killed by natural or manmade causes.”
Southern Pine Sawyer
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Posted 30 June 2009
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