Rainbow Scarab Beetle Question
Hi—your site helped me ID this gorgeous dung beetle as a male Rainbow Scarab. I was just wondering if he uses a carnivore’s dung (my dog) or has he come a much further distance (no large animals very local). I have lived in MA my whole life and have never seen one of these. They really are very beautiful. I wish my pics could catch the iridescent colors. I also love the way they walk!! Quite un-insect like! And very strong—I put a small glass votive over him on my deck to catch him and he pushed it along til I took him out. What a little power-house. Thank You. Great site—keep up the good work!
Heather Sanborn
East Taunton MA
Hi Heather,
We suspect that Dung Beetles prefer the dung of herbivores, but we have heard reports of them using dog dung as well. Nice photo of a Rainbow Scarab.
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Posted 04 August 2007
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Dung Beetle
Hi there.
We really enjoy your web site. I know you must get scads of pics of the common dung beetle, but I just wanted to share this one with you because he was such an industrious little guy and so determined. And also because his dung ball was absolutely perfectly round! A beautiful dung ball if there indeed can be such a thing. He was pushing this thing uphill on my daughter’s driveway and when I snapped this shot, (he was definitely between a rock and a hard place!). I did NOT place the big rock in front of his dung ball, poor thing just ended up there. I guess that is what happens when you are pushing things around backwards and not looking where you are going. Enjoy!
Marti Bailey
Weatherford, Texas
P.S. I went back to check on him a few minutes later and he was gone. I guess he finally found his destination. Whew! What a treck!
Hi Marti,
If memory serves us correctly, this is the only photo we have ever received of a Dung Beetle with a Dung Ball.
Fanmail Comment (07/29/2007)
Dear Daniel and Lisa Anne,
I wrote you a fan mail awhile back – I still look at your site every day. Today I was utterly delighted to see a photo of a dung beetle rolling its perfectly round dung ball. My father is an acarologist specializing in phoretic mites partial to dung beetles. 20 years ago almost to the day, I traveled with my father to the magnificent Camargue Natural Reserve in southern France to observe dung beetles rolling those magnificent balls. Somewhere I have a hilarious photo that my mother took of my father taking a photo of a little beetle and ball. I wish I had it to send to you. But alas, you are busy. Sorry for the blather, I was just so happy to see that photo. Yours for eternity 
Georgia
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Posted 29 July 2007
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Seen Flying Low over fields in Northern Indiana
Hi there,
I’ve never noticed these guys in St. Louis or New York, but near Culver, Indiana and there were many of these flying around within about 8 feet of the ground. I could only grab pictures of the ones that landed in a cut lawn area. I believe they were mostly landing to mate, but that’s just a guess. Thanks a bunch and what a GREAT website!!!
Christopher Granger
Hi Christopher,
We have gotten many reports of this swarming behavior in the Green June Beetle, Cotinus nitida. You can find some great images on BugGuide. The eggs are laid in dirt with a high organic content and the larvae feed on the roots of grasses and other plants. Adults feed on fruit and are fond of peaches. They will also eat pollen and leaves.
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Posted 21 July 2007
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What kind of beetle is THIS?
I live in Philadelphia, in Center City, on a pier on the Delaware that is concrete and steel and THIS was outside on the atrium “floor.” Any idea what it is? When it was taken to the river, it did little but roll over on the paper and play dead until dropped, then when it “realized” it was falling toward water, it suddenly found flight! Thanks,
Beth Brennan
Hi Beth,
This is a Green June Beetle, Cotinis nitida.
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Posted 19 July 2007
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What kinda bug is this?
Hi,
Curious to what this may be? I think it may be the Ten Lined June Beetle but it doesn’t look like it exactly. We found this at Davy Crockett State Park in Limestone Tennessee this past weekend 7/14/07. It makes a hissing noise when you mess with it. Any info is greatly appreciated! And thank you for your site, it is very interesting. Regards,
April
Hi April,
You are very perceptive. Though this is not a Ten Lined June Beetle, it is in the same genus. This is a Variegated June Beetle, Polyphylla variolosa.
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Posted 16 July 2007
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Wondering what kind of Bug this is…
Hi,
Thanks for offering this service! We found this very strange, cool, Beetle type insect which we’ve never seen before. I haven’t been able to identify him via photos on the web. Do you know what he is? He made a hissing or ‘tsss’… ‘tsssh’ sound each time I disturbed him when I was collecting him ( hoping it wasn’t spraying poison or something at me =) ). I’ve included a photo. It’s sitting on a 50 cent coin for scale. Hopefully he’s harmless as I’ve set him free.
Thanks, Leann
Seattle, WA
Hi Leann,
This is a Ten Lined June Beetle, and it is harmless. Gorgeous image by the way.
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Posted 16 July 2007
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Name these Bugs Please. Ahhh, Bonking and Eating
I was day tripping just north of Lake Erie in Southern Ontario and found these great bugs while picking wild berries. I found your site while trying to identify them. What a great service you are offering. Pat on the back I like to imagine what it would be like if bugs were six feet tall! Ahhhh, bonking and eating. Two of life’s finest treasures…so why not do them at the same time. I sent you this photo for identification but thought I’d resubmit it for the Bug Love section of your site which I just found. Location:Southern Ontario just north of Lake Erie in a lovely Conservation Area where I spent the afternoon picking berries. Luckily, the berries were bugless!
Linda
Hi Linda,
Thanks for sending us your photo of mating Japanese Beetles. We have had numerous requests for their identification recently.
Hercules Beetle in Alpharetta GA
Saw this Hercules Beetle on my front door step the other morning. I have never seen one before and thought you might be able to use a clear picture of his back. When I gently urged him off the door step (so my wife and son would not accidentally step on him) he was noticeably hard to move and had a great grip on the door frame. Have no fear I got him to safety and haven’t seen him since. Great website.
Gabe Johnson, Alpharetta, GA
Hi Gabe,
Thanks for sending us your photograph of an Eastern Hercules Beetle, Dynastes tityus, with the cellular phone for scale.
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Posted 13 July 2007
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Is This A Ten Lined June Beetle?
I found it outside my Seattle-area home.
Thanks!
Matt
Hi Mattk,
Yes, and this is a very nice photo of a Ten Lined June Beetle.
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Posted 12 July 2007
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Whats this bug…?
Thats a C battery for reference. I found it on the side of my house.Looked online to find out what it was and got nothing. So I took this picture and left it in a bush outside.
This is a female Hercules Beetle.
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Posted 10 July 2007
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Bug Photo
Mr. Bugman,
I’m curious about the identity of this bug. Primarily, is it a threat to gardens? Thanks,
Pamela Thompson
Hi Pamela,
The Ten Lined June Beetle, Polyphylla species, feeds on the needles of coniferous trees at night, and the immature beetle grubs feed on the roots of a wide variety of plants. This beetle is never plentiful enough to be considered a threat to the garden, nor are they a threat to national security.
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Posted 09 July 2007
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Unknown Beetle
Hi Bugman…need some help on this one. This beetle was about 3/4″ long and living in a large hole in the side of a tree. My first impression was that it was a scarab beetle but I’m not sure. Found it in Southern Ontario. Thanks
Tom Rook
Hi Tom,
We agree with Scarabaeidae for the family, but we need additional time, and help from Eric Eaton, to go any further in the identification. We will post your image and hopefully get you an answer. Here is Eric’s response: “Daniel: Good job just to recognize it as a scarab! It is an odd one. The genus is Osmoderma, but I can’t make out the species. It would either be Osmoderma eremicola, or Osmoderma scabra. The latter is smaller, with textured wing covers. The former is larger, with smooth wing covers. Eric”
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Posted 07 July 2007
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