Subject: Big Ugly Bug
Location: Central to Easter Ohio, very warm bedroom
June 26, 2013 10:41 am
I was wondering if you could identify a beetle like bug for me.
It is very beetle like. It has antennae that are at least twice as long as it’s body. 6 legs. When I poke at it, it does not fly. Not flat like a cockroach. Grayish to brown. Very slow moving. About an inch to 2 inches long.
Thank you in advance!
Signature: Shawna Arthur
Dear Shawna,
This is a Sawyer in the genus Monochamus, and we think he is rather beautiful. Male Sawyers like most other Longhorned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae have antennae considerably longer than the females of the species. Take a close look at his thorax. Those are Phoretic Mites which hitchhike on the Sawyer, using the beetle’s ability to fly to transport them to a new location and hopefully a more plentiful food supply. See BugGuide for additional information on Sawyers in the genus Monochamus.