Subject: what is this bug?
Geographic location of the bug: South Central Kentucky
Date: 05/12/2019
Time: 05:01 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: found this bug in my garage – wonder if it bites and if dangerous
How you want your letter signed: Julie
Dear Julie,
This is a beneficial Dung Beetle. All around the world, Dung Beetles help to clean up animal feces by rolling the fecal matter into a ball, rolling the ball to an appropriate location, digging a hole and laying an egg. When the egg hatches, the larva feeds on the excrement. Based on the Blue Jay Barrens site, we believe your Dung Beetle is Dichotomius carolinus. The site states: “The beetle at first appeared to be adorned with pale stripes. Closer examination revealed the stripes to actually be soil caked into grooves on the wing covers. Dung Beetle larvae develop in the ground at the bottom of a deep burrow where they feed on a supply of dung placed there by the adult beetle. The beetles can accumulate soil on their bodies when digging nest burrows or when burrowing out of the soil after pupation.” Dung Beetles are not dangerous, though the spurs on their legs might pinch if they are carelessly handled.