Iridescent Rhino Horn Bug in upstate New York
Location: Hudson, New York
August 7, 2011 4:42 pm
I found this on my back steps here in upstate New York.
I can’t find it on the internet.
What is it?
Is it out of it’s normal range?
Where does it usually live?
Signature: Rob

Rainbow Scarab

Hi Rob,
This beautiful beetle is a Dung Beetle commonly called a Rainbow Scarab, Phanaeus vindex.  Only the male has a horn.  Dung Beetles often work in pairs collecting dung and rolling it into a ball to be buried after laying a single egg.  The Dung provides food for the larva.  According to BugGuide, this is the range of the Rainbow Scarab:  “Mexico; USA: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming.”
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the ID.
Is it indigenous to upstate NY?  If not where is it common?
Thanks,
Rob

Though we do get more reports from the southern states, New York is well within the range of the Rainbow Scarab.  Only the males have horns.

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black beetle with white spots
Location: Waikiki Beach, HI
July 26, 2011 8:32 pm
I found a black beetle with white spots on the back. About the width of my thumb and the size of the upper digit of my thumb above the 10th floor on the balcony of my hotel on the beach of Waikiki.
It walked around with ease and flew quickly and strongly into the air above the balcony. Impressive.
I also heard a hard chatter kind of sound – perhaps wings vibrating? This just before it flew away but while still on the concrete surface.
Signature: Paul

Oriental Flower Beetle from Hawaii

Hi Paul,
This is some species of Scarab Beetle, but we did not have any luck matching it to any species found on Hawaii.  Interestingly, the very comprehensive Insects of Hawaii website only lists two scarabs, which we find highly unusual.  Since you are in Honolulu, there is a good chance this Scarab arrived with a tourist or with freight.  Hawaii is populated with many invasive exotic species.  We believe this Scarab may be in the subfamily Cetoniinae, the Fruit and Flower Chafers.  We continued to research and we found a matching image under Hawaiian Insects on BugGuide, and it is identified as Protaetia orientalis.  The Entophile website discusses this Invasive Exotic import as having been introduced to Hawaii prior to 2002.  In another posting, Entophile cites the Bishop Museum regarding the Oriental Flower Beetle.  BugNation has some images of swarms of Oriental Flower Beetles eating fruit.

Thank you for the quick tracking on this one.  Sorry another invasive has found a home in Waikiki.  Interesting beetle though.

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A garden feast
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
July 23, 2011 6:11 pm
We moved into our current home late last summer, and were disappointed to see all of the apples on our apple tree eaten, or on the ground full of holes.
The same thing is happening this year, and on top of that, many of the flowers we planted are being eaten! Oh the humanity!
Please help identify this culprit…Definitely not a helpful bug.
Signature: Vince S.

Japanese Beetle

Hi Vince,
You are being plagued by one of the most well known invasive exotic species to have been introduced to North America, the Japanese Beetle.  The beetle is so well known because it was originally introduced to North America on nursery stock that entered the U.S. in New Jersey.  Since that time, it has spread across the country and despite all attempts to eradicate it, the Japanese Beetle populations show no sign of being under control.  Numerous products are on the market, including Japanese Beetle traps.  Because Japanese Beetles are relatively indiscriminate eaters, they will consume hundreds of different cultivated plants.  When the hoards have defoliated one plant, they will just move to another species.  They are especially fond of roses, much to the chagrin of many home gardeners.  Regarding your apples, we are not fully convinced that the Japanese Beetles are feeding upon them, and if they are, we suspect they are only doing peripheral damage.  While they will feed on the leaves of the apple tree, the damage you describe does not sound like Japanese Beetle damage.  We suspect birds might be picking at your apples while the beetles feed on the foliage.  It is also worth noting, that according to BugGuide: “Adult females lay eggs in soil June through early fall. Grubs feed on roots until hibernating underground (4-8″ deep) as third instar larvae when cool weather comes.“  It looks like there is mating activity going on in your photo of the apple tree.

Japanese Beetles