Longhorn beetles are a unique family of beetles that love to reside inside dead wood and trees. These beetles have mandibles and can bite a human if they are mishandled.
The Long-horned beetles are a part of a large family called Cerambycidae. Their larvae love hollowing out healthy trees from the inside.
But that’s not where their skills end. These beetles are renowned for their biting abilities! Let’s find out more about the longhorn beetles or longicorns and their bites.
What Are They?
Over 20,000 species of Cerambycids are known and described. Amongst these, the longhorned beetles are most famous for their extremely long antennae.
The larger-sized longhorned beetles can have an antenna that is sometimes three times the length of their body!
These types of beetles are also known for their uniquely placed antennal sockets. Their antennal sockets can be found on the lower tubercles of their face.
Some beetles with long tubercles lack this feature, while others with short antennae still have them.
Longhorned beetles come in different sizes, shapes, colorations, and structures. Perhaps the most infamous one is the Asian Longhorned Beetle, which is a big menace to hardwood trees.
Do They Bite?
Yes, longhorn beetles can bite. Technically, beetles have chewing mouthparts (to devour their food) that they can use to munch on your skin as well.
Some species of beetles have completely developed jaws or mandibles to devour their prey.
Other adult beetles use these mouthparts to protect themselves from predators, while still others, like the longhorns, use them just to consume wood.
The longhorned beetles can come into your house if not managed.
However, you don’t have to be worried about drywood furniture in your home. These beetles cannot sink their mandibles in dried firewood.
They cannot attack your furniture, but if you are not careful, they will bite human skin. Their painful bites are not harmful in the long term but will leave you writhing for a day or two.
Are They Poisonous?
Most beetles don’t bite, and the ones that do, such as the longhorns, are not poisonous. The bite of the longhorned beetle is fortunately not poisonous.
But one might have an allergic reaction to the bite. In such cases, you must rush to your nearest hospital or seek immediate medical help.
There is one species: the Onychocherus albitarsis in the beetle family. This little bug is not a beetle to be fiddled with.
It is a rare species that is renowned for being the only venomous beetle with a sting on its antennae.
Are They Dangerous?
These beetles do not pose any direct threats to humans.
Instead, they are dangerous to the trees around them. The Asian longhorned beetle (sporting a white spot) and its larvae (roundheaded borers) are experts at it.
The larvae cause extensive damage to untreated lumber or living trees by boring into them. (The old-house borer, or Hylotrupes bajulus on the other hand, can bore into houses).
The ALB, thankfully, is a bit of an outlier in its family since it feeds on live trees.
Cerambycids are, infact, famous because their habit of munching on dead or dying wood makes them a precious recycler of nutrients.
They also help remove pests of lumber at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a longhorn beetle bites you
Only some types of beetles will bite you, out of which longhorn is one such. If it bites you, it will only cause you to pain for a few days, which will gradually subside after that.
However, in case you are allergic to the bites, you should seek immediate medical help. Allergic reactions can cause heart palpitations and even lead to anaphylactic shocks in such cases.
Can longhorn beetles sting?
Longhorn beetles do not have a stinger. Stingers are usually only found on bees and wasps. Beetles do have mouthparts, however, which they can use to bite.
Not all longhorn beetles bite. Some specific species of longhorn beetles can use their mouths to bite. However, recently in Peru, there has been a discovery of a long-horned beetle that can sting you.
What happens if you get bitten by a beetle?
If you got bitten by a beetle that isn’t venomous, you wouldn’t have to worry. The pain will gradually subside after two days.
But if the beetle is poisonous (there is only one known such case), it will cause a blister. You should get the blister checked by a medical practitioner.
What kind of beetles bite humans?
Beetles that bite humans or are a danger to humans are rare. Blister beetles, stag beetles, and longhorned beetles can bite humans.
The first beetle is famous for its ability to cause blisters on the stung area (hence the name), while the female stag beetle can also bite you.
The third type of beetle has brown wing covers and can cause you pain for at least two days.
Wrap Up
Beetles like the Asian longhorned beetle and Onychocherus albitarsis are dangerous to humans, but thankfully they are rare.
The Asian longhorned beetle is a threat to forests of North America, while Onychocherus albitarsis is one of the rare beetles that uses its antennae to sting, with venom inside it.
Billions of dollars will have to be spent if the Asian longhorn beetle is able to infest our hardwood forests, which is why a lot of effort is being put into stopping this menace.
For the time being, staying away from these insects and informing the authorities is probably a good idea.
Thank you for reading!
Reader Emails
Longhorned beetles are quite a sight to spot because of their uniquely long antennae.
But as with other bugs, there is always the possibility that one will bite you if you get too close.
Below are some emails we got from readers asking us about how safe it is to get close to these bugs.
Go through for some funny anecdotes and a lot of great pics.
Letter 1 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Attached are two pics of the same bug. We have been seeing at least one a day in the house for the past week. We have never seen this bug before then. What is it? We are in northeast PA.
Thanks
Bob and Sarina
Hi Bob and Sarina,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle. After searching on BugGuide, we found a match with Sarosesthes fulminans. The Cooperative Pest Survey Bulletin online notes: ” Sarosesthes fulminans has a distinctive eyespot on its pronotum that distinguishes it from other longhorned beetles. The larvae of this species feed under the bark and sapwood of hardwood trees, especially chesmut [chestnut?] and oak. This beetle is not considered economically important.”
Letter 2 – Reticulated Beetle
Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 7:37 PM
Hi Bugman,
My son Sam took this picture of a small beetle walking on the railing of our deck in the back yard. We have never seen him before or since. We have not had any luck identifying him–we thought those amazing antennae would make it easier– but we call him the Indian Corn beetle for now because of his unusual texture and coloration. One of our favorite bugs of the summer. Any help would be appreciated.
Sam and Daddy Jim
Suburban backyard, 35 miles west of Chicago
Hi Again Sam and Daddy Jim,
We tried skimming quickly through the family Cerambycidae on Bugguide to identify your Longhorned Borer Beetle without much luck. We are late to an important meeting, and cannot continue the research right now. We hope Eric Eaton can assist us on this identification.
Hi, Daniel:
You’re having trouble with the ID because it is not a longhorn beetle:-) Most folks make that mistake, though. This is a “reticulated beetle” in the family Cupedidae, specifically Tenomerga cinereus. Neat find!
Eric
Sun, Nov 16, 2008 at 8:04 PM
Daniel,
Your sense of dedication and good cheer is completely amazing. As a dad I want to thank you for contributing to the enthusiasm of a real bug-loving kid. It’s been great for me, too! We’re a couple of damselfly id’s away from getting a small book of Sam’s best pictures from this summer printed and you’ve really helped us with a couple of tough ones. Thanks for being there! We’ll be making a little monetary contribution to your website soon. All the best.
Jimmy
Letter 3 – Longhorned Borer Beetle: Neoclytus scutellaris
July 23, 2009
Hello Bugman,
This bug looks similar to some longhorn beetles I found on your site, but not exactly. I found it on a plant near my yard. Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks
Pam in Virginia
Cape Charles, VA
Hi Pam,
The reason your beetle doesn’t look exactly like anything on our site is that this is the first example we have ever posted of Neoclytus scutellaris, a Longhorned Borer Beetle with no common name. It is in the same genus as the Red Headed Ash Borer which is very well represented on our site. According to BugGuide it is found in “Eastern North America, apparently widespread. Reported from Oklahoma, North Carolina, Florida, and no doubt many other states.” and “Larvae feed in sapwood of (dead?) oaks, hickories, also grape.”
Letter 4 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Sweden
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
April 18, 2011 11:32 am
Hi!
This little bug appeared in the back of my house. I have never seen a bug like this before and would be very thankful if you could identify it for me.
The bug was about 15 mm long, from head to toe.
Thanks!
Signature: Daniel from sweden
Hi Daniel,
This is one of the Longhorned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae, though our initial search could not find any possibilities for a species identification. We will set your letter to post while we are out of the office for the holiday.
Letter 5 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: King County Washington State USA
August 13, 2011 3:26 pm
What is this bug is founding flying around my garden? Caught this shot on the trim of the garage while it was cleaning.
Signature: Greta
Beetle ID email
August 13, 2011 3:30 pm
wow, just as I hit send moments ago, I saw a huge grammatical error in my post. . . possible to edit if you end up posting on your site?
apologies.
Signature: Greta
Hi Greta,
We received your comment on your grammatical error, but we find it so amusing that a Longhorned Borer Beetle was cleaning that we are leaving your original submission as is. We don’t thing anyone will think less of you for making an error that you immediately recognized. We try to instill in our photography students that making errors if perfectly natural, and the best photographers will recognize the errors and make compensations on the spot, either by reshooting or by making corrections during the processing stage. Not recognizing errors is a vastly greater problem than making errors. We believe we have correctly identified your Longhorned Borer Beetle as Xestoleptura crassicornis based on photos posted to BugGuide, however, we may be wrong. The range of the beetle is also consistent with your location.
Letter 6 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Uruguay
Location: Uruguay South America
December 18, 2011 7:05 pm
Hi, I have been hearing noises in my wood shelves that sound like electricity is running through them. Its off and on so I have been suspicious that it was insects. Then tonight I found this thing crawling on the floor next to the shelves. What is it and is it dangerous? Is it making that electricity sound?
Thank you in advance!
Signature: Petrified Parent
Dear Petrified Parent,
This is some species of Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. The larvae are wood borers. Many members of the family are capable of making squeaking sounds that might be interpreted as sounding like electricity. It is possible that the larvae were in the wood at the time the shelves were milled and that the adults were delayed in emerging. The adult beetles will not harm your family.
Letter 7 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Uganda
Location: Uganda, Mabira Forest
April 15, 2012 2:59 am
Dear Bugman,
I have made a clear picture of a beautiful insect while walking through the black mamba infested Mabira Forest in Uganda. Google cannot tell me what it is. Can you help? I can’t even tell if it is a beatle or some other form of insect.
Any help would be really appreciated!
Signature: Jille
Hi Jille,
The best we are able to do at this moment is to provide you with a family. This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. We agree it is a beautiful insect and we hope to eventually provide a species name for this posting.
Letter 8 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: Superior, Wisconsin
April 22, 2012 2:38 pm
I was camping up by Superior Wisconsin, and saw this bug sitting on a wood railing. It was huge! Probably from my knuckle to my wrist in length. It had really LONG antennae, and looked like some science experiment gone wrong. For the last year I’ve been trying to identify it, but have yet to. Hoping you can fill me in on what this fascinating and yet strangely odd bug is!
Signature: ~Melissa~
Hi Melissa,
This beetle is one of the Longicorns or Longhorned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae. We believe it is a Flat Faced Longhorn in the subfamily Lamiinae and you may reference BugGuide to see some examples. It might even be in the genus Monochamus, however, the detail and angle of your photo makes positive identification difficult for us.
Letter 9 – Red Oak Borer
Location: Shrewsbury, MA near the Boylston border
August 1, 2012 9:52 am
I want to make sure this is not a quarentine bug if I am to let it go. I live near Worcester, MA which has the ALB problem.
Signature: Paul
Hi Paul,
This is a native Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, the same family as the Asian Longhorned Borer (ALB). When species are introduced to new locations, they often do not have natural predators and they can become problematic invasive exotic species. Native species, though they sometimes damage the plants that they are feeding upon, are generally not thought of as threats. We believe based on BugGuide images that this might be a member of the genus Goes, perhaps Goes debilis. According to BugGuide, the members of this genus are: “Typically twig girdlers or stem borers.” We are going to try to get a second (and possibly third) opinion on this identification by contacting Eric Eaton and Doug Yanega.
Eric Eaton Makes a Correction: Red Oak Borer
Daniel:
….
Funny, this *is* the same species as the other: Red Oak Borer, Enaphalodes rufulus, but female this time. Pretty certain of the species ID, anyway.
Eric
Letter 10 – Red Oak Borer
Location: Southern Michigan at latitude 41
July 29, 2012 6:54 pm
I took this photo sometime between July 6—11, 2012. I’ve narrowed it down to Monochamus but I can’t find anything that has the reddish markings on the back. I found a picture of Monochamus obtusus that is a similar color, but the shape of that was more shovel-like. Can you help me identify this one?
Thanks,
Anna
Signature: Anna
Hi Anna,
This beetle has similar markings and coloration to a posting we made about an hour ago of a Cerambycid we thought might be in the genus Goes. Your photo should make identification much easier since it is a better photo. There do not appear to be any thoracic spines, which seem to be a characteristic of Goes species, so we are now doubting that identification. We are also still waiting to hear back from Eric Eaton and Doug Yanega and we also forwarded them your photograph. Meanwhile, we are going to continue to search. We believe we have identified this species in the past, but we just cannot place it so we will be browsing BugGuide.
Eric Eaton Makes a Correction: Red Oak Borer
Daniel:
Wow, great specimen of a male Red Oak Borer, Enaphalodes rufulus:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/24945
One of my favorite beetles, but did not know it ranged that far north. Females have shorter antennae.
Eric
Doug Yanega concurs
Enaphalodes rufulus.
Letter 11 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from South Africa might be Orange Coffee Longhorn
Location: PRETORIA , South Africa
December 8, 2012 5:14 pm
Good day,I’ve lived in Pretoria South Africa for 31 years and never have I seen such a curious little creature.Ive tried identifying it online with no success.Could you help? If you could maybe just give me a lead I could take it from there.I don’t know anything about bugs.I am however delighted to have found your web page. 
Signature: Sergio
Hi Sergio,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. We will post your photo and continue to try to find a species identification.
Possible Identification Courtesy of Karl
December 14, 2012
Hi Daniel and Sergio:
This may be an Orange Coffee Longhorn (Dirphya nigricornis). These are the only photos I could find that match the Sergio’s beetle. The same photos appear on various sites and give the same taxonomic name, but I am not completely convinced that the identification is correct. Given its distinctive appearance and the fact that it is supposed to be a pest on coffee plants, there is surprisingly little information to be found online. To make it more confusing, the species appears to have a number of generic synonyms (Dirphya, Leuconitocris, Nitakeris, Necydalis, Nitocris, and Oberea) and I can’t figure out with certainty what the currently valid name is. Regards. Karl
Thanks Karl. You have been busy today.
Letter 12 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Peru: Sarifer flavirameus
Location: Amazon Manu Lodge, (former Oropendola Lodge), Madre de Dios, Peru
March 11, 2013 2:45 pm
This was a quite big beetle as well. If I remember right some 5 (maybe 6) cm long.
Signature: Kristian
Hi Kristian,
Luckily we knew where to begin with this beautiful male Longhorned Borer Beetle. We quickly found a photo of Sarifer flavirameus on Cerambycidae de Peru, but the links to the information are not working. We then found a photo of a living specimen on FlickR and a mounted specimen on Insects and More.
Fantastic to get a species name on this one. I thought this was a tough one, but you did a great job here. Thank you very much!
Kristian
Letter 13 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from India
Location: Sivssagar, Assam, India
March 20, 2013 12:00 pm
Sir,
I found this insect in Sivsagar, Assam, India but don’t know the name.
So would like to know this name.
Regards,
Jeet Saikia,
Bangalore. India.
Dear Jeet Saikia,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. We are unable to provide a species identification at this time.
Letter 14 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: Gulf Coast Mississippi
July 17, 2013 8:58 pm
Being a recent transplant to the south, I’ve seen all sorts of bugs I’ve never seen before. This is the only one I couldn’t identify…it’s also the only one that’s decided to live in my house. I would like to know if it is beneficial, dangerous, or just a pest. Any help you could give me would be appreciated, thank you!
Signature: Carrie Starnes
Hi Carrie,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and we believe it is in the genus Neoclytus, possibly Neoclytus mucronatus based on photos posted to BugGuide. Larvae from this family bore in the wood of trees, generally in dying or recently dead trees. Perhaps they entered your home with firewood. According to BugGuide: “Larval hosts: Celtis and Persimmon (Lingafelter & Horner 1993); dead and dying hickory, rarely pine.”
Letter 15 – Longhorned Borer Beetle, but which species???
Location: Carlsbad, California
July 23, 2013 7:45 pm
This ”Long-horned” beetle was attracted to light on the wall. Can you identify it”
Signature: Dennis
Dear Dennis,
We agree that this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, but we do not recognize the species. We will continue to research this and we will also seek assistance. Meanwhile, we are posting it as unidentified pending additional research.
Update: Eric Eaton Responds
Daniel:
Longhorn in the tribe Elaphidiini. The spiked antennal segments make it so. Tough to ID to genus even without more time and it is after 1 AM here now. Prompt me again if I don’t get back to it, please.
Eric
Letter 16 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: northern IL
September 3, 2013 6:10 am
Hi. I am writing again with better photos. We live adjacent to a forest preserve in northern Illinois and always have lots of bugs in our house. This one we saw frequently in the winter and I was wondering if they were coming in on our firewood since they moved so slowly like they had just been unexpectedly awakened from hibernation. But just recently I have seen a couple of these flying around our skylight, definitely not moving slowly. Is this some type of wasp? I keep looking at the wasp pages on this site and others but can’t seem to find it.
My son made me promise not to kill the bug to take the picture. The insect did not want to cooperate. I ended up putting him in the freezer for a minute and then taking some pictures while he was stunned. He seemed to recover okay.
Signature: mk in the woods
Dear mk in the woods,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and your guess that they came in with the firewood is most likely correct. The larvae are wood borers and the heat of the home may have caused them to emerge early. Your individual resembles members of the genus Neoclytus, but we cannot find an exact match on BugGuide. Many members of this genus resemble Yellow Jackets and other wasps and this can be an effective defense mechanism. You can also find some very interesting information on Bug Eric, which is Eric Eaton’s very entertaining blog.
Thank you for your help!
Mary
Letter 17 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Canada is Sarosesthes fulminans
Location: Ontario, Canada
January 3, 2014 1:51 pm
Hi there,
Hoping you can help me identify this bug!
Location: Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada
Season: Winter (December/January)
-boring oval shaped holes in oak firewood and possibly affecting elm and birch trees as well.
-Wood was brought into home in December, insects started appearing soon after.
-leaves small piles of sawdust outside of bore holes
-looks a lot like a banded alder borer, but wings are different
-makes an audible squeaking noise
Signature: Emily
Hi Emily,
We quickly identified your Longhorned Borer Beetle as Sarosesthes fulminans thanks to photos that are posted to BugGuide. The only information on the BugGuide information page is the habitat listed as: “under bark and sapwood of hardwoods, esp. chestnut and oak.” When the wood was brought indoors, the beetles were in either the larval or pupal stage. The indoor warmth caused them to emerge early. The holes are a result of the emergence. You do not need to worry about them infesting your home or your wooden furnishings. Many Longhorned Borer Beetles squeak when disturbed. The sound is caused by rubbing body parts together and it is known as stridulation. Putting a pin through a living insect might be considered cruelty to many folks.
Hi Daniel,
Thank you so much for your quick identification of the Sarosesthes fulminans! I was trying to get the ID for a third party (I personally would NEVER pin a living insect) and the photos were sent to me from a private citizen who thought it might be the invasive Asian Long horned beetle, which is a big concern in Ontario. I spent about an hour attempting to find the species online, and decided to try you site! (Most of the entomologists we normally deal with were still on Christmas vacation last week) I appreciate the information and your quick response! Thanks again!
Yours in Conservation,
Emily C Johnston
Invasive Species Intern
Invading Species Awareness Program
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
Thanks for the followup information Emily. Our editorial staff teaches at the college level and we just returned to work today, but we update the website from our home offices.
Letter 18 – Longhorned Borer Beetle found in England may be from Belize: Placosternus species
Location: Derbyshire, England
April 4, 2014 11:06 am
Hi,
Please could you help me identify this creature? I’ve been scrolling through photos for hours and had no luck. I’m afraid I’m completely ignorant with insects so I can’t even narrow my search.
I’ve found two of these in a Derbyshire bedroom at separate times over the last couple of weeks. I never seen them before, or anything similar, so I would like to know what they are if we’re sharing space.
I’m afraid I haven’t observed any useful behaviours, I just have this photo.
Thankyou for any help.
Signature: Rose
Hi Rose,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, but we have not had any luck identifying the species. It is not listed on Mark Telfer’s Longhorn Beetles page, nor on Eakring Birds. Did you get any new furniture in the room where you have found the beetles? We don’t want to be alarmist, but it is possible they emerged from the wood used in a new piece of furniture. We will continue trying to identify the species.
Hi,
There is a wooden bowl my brother bought back from Belize. Looking at it I can see three holes, two have dust around them and one looks like there is something still in it.
As it’s likely these beetles are foreign to my ecosystem, is there some precaution I should take?
Thank you so much for your speedy reply!
Rose.
Hi again Daniel,
I’ve just been in touch with my brother and he says it is a rosewood bowl bought in Placencia Belize that we think it has come from. Hope that can help with the identification?
Thanks again for all your help.
Rose
Hi Rose,
We believe you probably found the source of the introduction of these Longhorned Borers with the discovery of the wooden bowl and its holes. Many invasive species have been introduced in this manner to various parts of the world, however, we don’t think you need to fear that this tropical species will survive in your much colder English climate. We will see if we can find a match among species from Belize, though nearby Costa Rica shares many of the same species and there is more comprehensive data on Costa Rican species on the internet because of the ecotourism.
Additional Information and Identification courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Rose:
It looks like a species of Placosternus (Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Clytini) which includes the familiar Mesquite Borer (P. difficilis) that occurs as far north as the southern USA , and south to Honduras. There are four species of Placosternus altogether, all of which can be found in Belize, look very similar and include neotropical rosewoods as larval host plants. The adult coloration suggests that they may be wasp mimics. The commonly used rosewood species in Belize is the Honduras Rosewood (Dalbergia stevensoni). FYI, this species has long been a staple in the Belizian artisanal tourist industry (full disclosure – we also bought a few beautiful rosewood bowls in Belize a few years ago), but unfortunately, a massive increase in the harvest in recent years to feed Asian demand has caused concern and the Belizian government has recently implemented a ban on the harvest and export of rosewood. I am not sure if this includes the small-scale production and sale of carved products for the tourist trade. If so, this would be a serious and unfortunate hit on an important village-based income source. Regards. Karl
Thanks for doing this research Karl. We did notice the resemblance to the Mesquite Borer when we wrote the original identification, and we tried searching its tribe in England to see if there were any relatives.
Hi Karl and Daniel,
Thank you very much for solving the mystery! Thanks for all your time and effort.
Kindest regards,
Rose
Letter 19 – Linden Borer from Canada
Location: Montreal, QC
July 20, 2014 4:13 pm
Hello, we were intrigued by this bug spotted on our cedar tree. We wondered what it might be. It’s about an inch long, it’s a dull olive green and has four faint black spots.
We think it’s a beetle because of the elytra?
Cheers and thank you!
Signature: Snowpea
Dear Snowpea,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae. We will attempt to determine a species for you.
Eric Eaton provides an identification: Linden Borer
Hi, Daniel:
Sure, this is a “Linden Borer,” Saperda vestita. Nice beetle!
Eric
Letter 20 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Argentina
Location: Laguna Paiva, Santa Fe, Argentina
November 10, 2015 2:20 am
Hi! i found this kind of beetle in my grandfather´s backyard, i was searching for like 2 hours now in bugGuide.net but i coldn’t find a perfect match yet, i think that it could be from the Meloidae or Oedemeridae families but i-m not sure… this photo was taken in Santa Fe, Argentina. thanks in advance!
Signature: Guille
Dear Guille,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and BugGuide will only be helpful with identifying North American species. Your individual may be Erythrochiton jucundum which we found on the Butterflies and Beetles of Argentina site as well as the Galeria de Especies Determinadas Cerambycinae site. This is not an uncommon color pattern, and we would not rule out that it is a different species.
Letter 21 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: Nevada, Texas
February 2, 2016 10:17 am
Hi, I’d like to identify this little guy for peace of mind – he was in my baby’s play room (and inside my shirt) and I’d like to know that he wasn’t poisonous. I threw him unceremoniously outside.
Signature: Jessica
Dear Jessica,
There is not enough detail in your image to identify this beyond the family level. This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and it is not venomous. Members of this family spend their larval stage boring in wood, and they need strong mandibles to chew their way to the surface after maturity, so they are capable of delivering a painful, but not generally dangerous bite. Large individual might even draw blood. Individual found indoors frequently emerge from firewood that was brought inside. They will not infest the wood used in the construction of a home, so they pose no threat to your home.
Letter 22 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Canada: Sarosesthes fulminans
Location: coldwater ontario canada
February 1, 2016 6:35 pm
Hi we have these in our house occasionally, we think they are coming in on our firewood. The wood is ash and oak. The house is only a year old and was built in the winter
Signature: Keith Prentice
Dear Keith,
We turned to our copy of Arthur V. Evans excellent book “Beetles of Eastern North America” as it is easier to scan than many online sources. We believe we have correctly identified your Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae as Sarosesthes fulminans which is described as having: “a distinctive eyespot on the pronotum and angulate bands on elytra. Larvae tunnel under bark and in sapwood of hardwoods, especially chestnut (Castanea), oak (Quercus), and walnut (Juglans). Adults are attracted to light and bait traps in late spring and summer. Quebec and Ontario to North Carolina, west to Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas.” This image from BugGuide looks very much like your individual. You are most likely correct that your indoor, winter sighting is related to oak firewood.
Letter 23 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: California, Central Valley
May 31, 2016 2:54 pm
We continue to have these bugs pop in our house. Not sure what they are. We live in manteca California central valley.
Signature: Matt
Dear Matt,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, but we are uncertain of the species. We will attempt to contact beetle expert Arthur Evans to see if he can provide a more specific identification.
Letter 24 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Argentina
Location: Argentina
December 9, 2016 9:57 am
Found it under a tree
Signature: Frosiano
Dear Frosiano,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we actually very quickly identified it as Paromoeocerus barbicornis thanks to the Eco Registros site. There are also images on Meloidae (though that is the Blister Beetle family) and on BioLib.
Thanks! Spot on. You’ve been very helpful!
Letter 25 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: Ohio
January 27, 2017 8:14 am
I woke up with two of these laying on me , I can’t figure out what they are.
Signature: Kaitlynn
Dear Kaitlynn,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. Considering your location and the time of year, we can think of two reasons why you encountered them. The larvae of Longhorned Borer Beetles are found boring in wood, and they are often very species specific regarding food, sometimes feeding on a single species of tree. If you have a wood burning stove or fireplace and you have a wood pile indoors, it might be a local species that emerged early due to the warmth indoors. It is also possible that some species can survive in milled lumber. It is not unknown for adult beetles to emerge from a piece of furniture (new bed perhaps?) or newly installed wood paneling. On a positive note, they will not lay eggs in furniture or structural wood, so one they have emerged, they will NOT reproduce in your home. Unfortunately, we cannot determine the species from your image.
Letter 26 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Australia
Location: Giru, queensland, oz
February 2, 2017 9:10 pm
Hi, I found lots of these little beetles (some mating too) on pumpkin and cucumber vines in the garden… not sure if they’re eating them, just trying to identify them but not getting anywhere! They’re fast movers, and good at scaling sides and tops of things, but got a pic of one. They’re 5-6mm. Thanks so much for your help!
Signature: Holi
Dear Holi,
We have tried searching both Checkered Beetles and Longhorn Beetles to ascertain the identity of your interesting individual. We then wrote to Eric Eaton and he made the identification for us.
Eric Eaton Provides Identification
Daniel:
I had to really dig, but I think I found it. Indeed it is a flat-faced longhorned beetle, family Cerambycidae, subfamily Lamiinae, and the genus Apomecyna, pretty sure:
http://www.ento.csiro.au/biology/cerambycidae/cerambycidae.html#
I hope the above link works to get you the image I am looking at, which is essentially identical to the specimen in the images you e-mailed.
There are some really, REALLY weird longhorned beetles in Australia! Just do a Google image search and be blown away!
Have a great weekend.
Eric
author, Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America
http://bugeric.blogspot.com/
Ed. Note: Eric’s link took us to the site. We found Apomecyna histrio on this Csiro page.
Letter 27 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: tennessee
June 28, 2017 2:36 pm
This thing definitely caught my eye has long back legs like a grasshopper can fly and has an awesome design on its back
Signature: dwyrick
Dear dwyrick,
This is a wasp-mimicking Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and the Tribe Clytini, but we are unsure of the genus or species. There are many similar looking species in both the genus Clytus (see BugGuide) and the genus Neoclytus (see BugGuide). Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide a species identification.
Letter 28 – Longhorned Borer Beetle endemic to the Canary Islands
Geographic location of the bug: Teror, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Date: 02/03/2018
Time: 08:54 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi,
Just wondered what it was as it wandered across our table today!
How you want your letter signed: Caitlin Hotham
Dear Caitlin,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we believe we have identified it as Deroplia albida thanks to images posted on Old World Cerambycidae Catalog and on Tenerife 2010. According to Cerambycidae: “Deroplia gertiana is a nocturnal species endemic to Tenerife (Canary Islands). The species is polyphagous on herbaceous plants, shrubs and also deciduous trees (Ficus carica).”
Letter 29 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Canada
Geographic location of the bug: quebec, canada
Date: 12/26/2018
Time: 08:50 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: just found 2 of those in 2 min, live in quebec (canada), just want to make sure this is nothing to be alarmed about. thanks a lot for the help
How you want your letter signed: what is this bug ?
Your image is lacking visual sharpness so an exact species identification might not be possible, but this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It appears that it might be a member of the genus Neoclytus. Regardless of the species, the larvae of members of the family Cerambycidae are wood borers. Do you have a fireplace? Do you store firewood indoors? We suspect the indoor heat has caused these adults to emerge early from firewood. They will not infest milled wood or furniture in your home.
You are correct. The emerging Longhorned Borer Beetles may be a nuisance, but they will not damage your home. Adults often feed on pollen or other substances, but they do not eat wood. Only the larvae feed on wood. According to BugGuide: “Many adults (esp. the brightly colored ones) feed on flowers. Adult feeding habits variable; some species take nourishment from sap, leaves, blossoms, fruit, bark, and fungi, often not associated with larval hosts; others take little or no food”
Letter 30 – Longhorned Borer Beetle: Ipochus fasciatus
Geographic location of the bug: San Diego CA 92110
Date: 07/24/2019
Time: 05:59 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I’m trying to identify the following bug. It is about 1/8″ – 3/16″ long, black with hints of yellow, long antenna, and hair. I believe that it latched onto me while I was hiking through an area near a pepper tree and pine tree. I’ve searched the Internet without luck, but not the Dark Web 
Thanks!
How you want your letter signed: RedSect Bug Lover
Dear RedSect Bug Lover,
We hope you are not considering us the Dark Web. This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and we actually thought we were going to have a much more difficult time identifying it than we had. We quickly identified it as Ipochus fasciatus on BugGuide. According to Oxford Academic Group: “Ipochus fasciatus LeConte apparently has newly, but imperfectly, adapted to feed and oviposit in milk thistle, Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertner, an alien, herbaceous, annual weed in southern California. This polyphagous, native cerambycid previously was known only from woody, perennial host plants.” Knowing it has adapted to feeding on the invasive Milk Thistle is a good thing.
Hi again RedSect,
Several of the plants in the list on your attached screenshot are growing in the WTB? gardens, including Laurel Leaf Sumac, Oak, Willow and endangered California Black Walnut. We will keep an eye out for this diminutive Longhorned Borer Beetle.
Letter 31 – Longhorned Borer Beetle: Clytus ruricola
Geographic location of the bug: Cold Spring, NY, USA
Date: 06/05/2020
Time: 10:24 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Found this near a pond on my deck. I’ve never seen a beetle like this before. I have no idea what this is.
How you want your letter signed: Rich
Dear Rich,
The Sugar Maple Borer is a much larger and even more colorful Beetle. Your individual is also a member of the Longhorned Borer Beetle family Cerambycidae, and we believe we have identified it as Clytus ruricola, a species with no common name, thanks to images on BugGuide. According to BugGuide: “Larvae in decaying hardwoods, esp. maple (Acer)” so it is theoretically a “Maple Borer.”
Letter 1 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Attached are two pics of the same bug. We have been seeing at least one a day in the house for the past week. We have never seen this bug before then. What is it? We are in northeast PA.
Thanks
Bob and Sarina
Hi Bob and Sarina,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle. After searching on BugGuide, we found a match with Sarosesthes fulminans. The Cooperative Pest Survey Bulletin online notes: ” Sarosesthes fulminans has a distinctive eyespot on its pronotum that distinguishes it from other longhorned beetles. The larvae of this species feed under the bark and sapwood of hardwood trees, especially chesmut [chestnut?] and oak. This beetle is not considered economically important.”
Letter 2 – Reticulated Beetle
Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 7:37 PM
Hi Bugman,
My son Sam took this picture of a small beetle walking on the railing of our deck in the back yard. We have never seen him before or since. We have not had any luck identifying him–we thought those amazing antennae would make it easier– but we call him the Indian Corn beetle for now because of his unusual texture and coloration. One of our favorite bugs of the summer. Any help would be appreciated.
Sam and Daddy Jim
Suburban backyard, 35 miles west of Chicago
Hi Again Sam and Daddy Jim,
We tried skimming quickly through the family Cerambycidae on Bugguide to identify your Longhorned Borer Beetle without much luck. We are late to an important meeting, and cannot continue the research right now. We hope Eric Eaton can assist us on this identification.
Hi, Daniel:
You’re having trouble with the ID because it is not a longhorn beetle:-) Most folks make that mistake, though. This is a “reticulated beetle” in the family Cupedidae, specifically Tenomerga cinereus. Neat find!
Eric
Sun, Nov 16, 2008 at 8:04 PM
Daniel,
Your sense of dedication and good cheer is completely amazing. As a dad I want to thank you for contributing to the enthusiasm of a real bug-loving kid. It’s been great for me, too! We’re a couple of damselfly id’s away from getting a small book of Sam’s best pictures from this summer printed and you’ve really helped us with a couple of tough ones. Thanks for being there! We’ll be making a little monetary contribution to your website soon. All the best.
Jimmy
Letter 3 – Longhorned Borer Beetle: Neoclytus scutellaris
July 23, 2009
Hello Bugman,
This bug looks similar to some longhorn beetles I found on your site, but not exactly. I found it on a plant near my yard. Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks
Pam in Virginia
Cape Charles, VA
Hi Pam,
The reason your beetle doesn’t look exactly like anything on our site is that this is the first example we have ever posted of Neoclytus scutellaris, a Longhorned Borer Beetle with no common name. It is in the same genus as the Red Headed Ash Borer which is very well represented on our site. According to BugGuide it is found in “Eastern North America, apparently widespread. Reported from Oklahoma, North Carolina, Florida, and no doubt many other states.” and “Larvae feed in sapwood of (dead?) oaks, hickories, also grape.”
Letter 4 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Sweden
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
April 18, 2011 11:32 am
Hi!
This little bug appeared in the back of my house. I have never seen a bug like this before and would be very thankful if you could identify it for me.
The bug was about 15 mm long, from head to toe.
Thanks!
Signature: Daniel from sweden
Hi Daniel,
This is one of the Longhorned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae, though our initial search could not find any possibilities for a species identification. We will set your letter to post while we are out of the office for the holiday.
Letter 5 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: King County Washington State USA
August 13, 2011 3:26 pm
What is this bug is founding flying around my garden? Caught this shot on the trim of the garage while it was cleaning.
Signature: Greta
Beetle ID email
August 13, 2011 3:30 pm
wow, just as I hit send moments ago, I saw a huge grammatical error in my post. . . possible to edit if you end up posting on your site?
apologies.
Signature: Greta
Hi Greta,
We received your comment on your grammatical error, but we find it so amusing that a Longhorned Borer Beetle was cleaning that we are leaving your original submission as is. We don’t thing anyone will think less of you for making an error that you immediately recognized. We try to instill in our photography students that making errors if perfectly natural, and the best photographers will recognize the errors and make compensations on the spot, either by reshooting or by making corrections during the processing stage. Not recognizing errors is a vastly greater problem than making errors. We believe we have correctly identified your Longhorned Borer Beetle as Xestoleptura crassicornis based on photos posted to BugGuide, however, we may be wrong. The range of the beetle is also consistent with your location.
Letter 6 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Uruguay
Location: Uruguay South America
December 18, 2011 7:05 pm
Hi, I have been hearing noises in my wood shelves that sound like electricity is running through them. Its off and on so I have been suspicious that it was insects. Then tonight I found this thing crawling on the floor next to the shelves. What is it and is it dangerous? Is it making that electricity sound?
Thank you in advance!
Signature: Petrified Parent
Dear Petrified Parent,
This is some species of Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. The larvae are wood borers. Many members of the family are capable of making squeaking sounds that might be interpreted as sounding like electricity. It is possible that the larvae were in the wood at the time the shelves were milled and that the adults were delayed in emerging. The adult beetles will not harm your family.
Letter 7 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Uganda
Location: Uganda, Mabira Forest
April 15, 2012 2:59 am
Dear Bugman,
I have made a clear picture of a beautiful insect while walking through the black mamba infested Mabira Forest in Uganda. Google cannot tell me what it is. Can you help? I can’t even tell if it is a beatle or some other form of insect.
Any help would be really appreciated!
Signature: Jille
Hi Jille,
The best we are able to do at this moment is to provide you with a family. This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. We agree it is a beautiful insect and we hope to eventually provide a species name for this posting.
Letter 8 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: Superior, Wisconsin
April 22, 2012 2:38 pm
I was camping up by Superior Wisconsin, and saw this bug sitting on a wood railing. It was huge! Probably from my knuckle to my wrist in length. It had really LONG antennae, and looked like some science experiment gone wrong. For the last year I’ve been trying to identify it, but have yet to. Hoping you can fill me in on what this fascinating and yet strangely odd bug is!
Signature: ~Melissa~
Hi Melissa,
This beetle is one of the Longicorns or Longhorned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae. We believe it is a Flat Faced Longhorn in the subfamily Lamiinae and you may reference BugGuide to see some examples. It might even be in the genus Monochamus, however, the detail and angle of your photo makes positive identification difficult for us.
Letter 9 – Red Oak Borer
Location: Shrewsbury, MA near the Boylston border
August 1, 2012 9:52 am
I want to make sure this is not a quarentine bug if I am to let it go. I live near Worcester, MA which has the ALB problem.
Signature: Paul
Hi Paul,
This is a native Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, the same family as the Asian Longhorned Borer (ALB). When species are introduced to new locations, they often do not have natural predators and they can become problematic invasive exotic species. Native species, though they sometimes damage the plants that they are feeding upon, are generally not thought of as threats. We believe based on BugGuide images that this might be a member of the genus Goes, perhaps Goes debilis. According to BugGuide, the members of this genus are: “Typically twig girdlers or stem borers.” We are going to try to get a second (and possibly third) opinion on this identification by contacting Eric Eaton and Doug Yanega.
Eric Eaton Makes a Correction: Red Oak Borer
Daniel:
….
Funny, this *is* the same species as the other: Red Oak Borer, Enaphalodes rufulus, but female this time. Pretty certain of the species ID, anyway.
Eric
Letter 10 – Red Oak Borer
Location: Southern Michigan at latitude 41
July 29, 2012 6:54 pm
I took this photo sometime between July 6—11, 2012. I’ve narrowed it down to Monochamus but I can’t find anything that has the reddish markings on the back. I found a picture of Monochamus obtusus that is a similar color, but the shape of that was more shovel-like. Can you help me identify this one?
Thanks,
Anna
Signature: Anna
Hi Anna,
This beetle has similar markings and coloration to a posting we made about an hour ago of a Cerambycid we thought might be in the genus Goes. Your photo should make identification much easier since it is a better photo. There do not appear to be any thoracic spines, which seem to be a characteristic of Goes species, so we are now doubting that identification. We are also still waiting to hear back from Eric Eaton and Doug Yanega and we also forwarded them your photograph. Meanwhile, we are going to continue to search. We believe we have identified this species in the past, but we just cannot place it so we will be browsing BugGuide.
Eric Eaton Makes a Correction: Red Oak Borer
Daniel:
Wow, great specimen of a male Red Oak Borer, Enaphalodes rufulus:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/24945
One of my favorite beetles, but did not know it ranged that far north. Females have shorter antennae.
Eric
Doug Yanega concurs
Enaphalodes rufulus.
Letter 11 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from South Africa might be Orange Coffee Longhorn
Location: PRETORIA , South Africa
December 8, 2012 5:14 pm
Good day,I’ve lived in Pretoria South Africa for 31 years and never have I seen such a curious little creature.Ive tried identifying it online with no success.Could you help? If you could maybe just give me a lead I could take it from there.I don’t know anything about bugs.I am however delighted to have found your web page.
Signature: Sergio
Hi Sergio,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. We will post your photo and continue to try to find a species identification.
Possible Identification Courtesy of Karl
December 14, 2012
Hi Daniel and Sergio:
This may be an Orange Coffee Longhorn (Dirphya nigricornis). These are the only photos I could find that match the Sergio’s beetle. The same photos appear on various sites and give the same taxonomic name, but I am not completely convinced that the identification is correct. Given its distinctive appearance and the fact that it is supposed to be a pest on coffee plants, there is surprisingly little information to be found online. To make it more confusing, the species appears to have a number of generic synonyms (Dirphya, Leuconitocris, Nitakeris, Necydalis, Nitocris, and Oberea) and I can’t figure out with certainty what the currently valid name is. Regards. Karl
Thanks Karl. You have been busy today.
Letter 12 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Peru: Sarifer flavirameus
Location: Amazon Manu Lodge, (former Oropendola Lodge), Madre de Dios, Peru
March 11, 2013 2:45 pm
This was a quite big beetle as well. If I remember right some 5 (maybe 6) cm long.
Signature: Kristian
Hi Kristian,
Luckily we knew where to begin with this beautiful male Longhorned Borer Beetle. We quickly found a photo of Sarifer flavirameus on Cerambycidae de Peru, but the links to the information are not working. We then found a photo of a living specimen on FlickR and a mounted specimen on Insects and More.
Fantastic to get a species name on this one. I thought this was a tough one, but you did a great job here. Thank you very much!
Kristian
Letter 13 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from India
Location: Sivssagar, Assam, India
March 20, 2013 12:00 pm
Sir,
I found this insect in Sivsagar, Assam, India but don’t know the name.
So would like to know this name.
Regards,
Jeet Saikia,
Bangalore. India.
Dear Jeet Saikia,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. We are unable to provide a species identification at this time.
Letter 14 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: Gulf Coast Mississippi
July 17, 2013 8:58 pm
Being a recent transplant to the south, I’ve seen all sorts of bugs I’ve never seen before. This is the only one I couldn’t identify…it’s also the only one that’s decided to live in my house. I would like to know if it is beneficial, dangerous, or just a pest. Any help you could give me would be appreciated, thank you!
Signature: Carrie Starnes
Hi Carrie,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and we believe it is in the genus Neoclytus, possibly Neoclytus mucronatus based on photos posted to BugGuide. Larvae from this family bore in the wood of trees, generally in dying or recently dead trees. Perhaps they entered your home with firewood. According to BugGuide: “Larval hosts: Celtis and Persimmon (Lingafelter & Horner 1993); dead and dying hickory, rarely pine.”
Letter 15 – Longhorned Borer Beetle, but which species???
Location: Carlsbad, California
July 23, 2013 7:45 pm
This ”Long-horned” beetle was attracted to light on the wall. Can you identify it”
Signature: Dennis
Dear Dennis,
We agree that this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, but we do not recognize the species. We will continue to research this and we will also seek assistance. Meanwhile, we are posting it as unidentified pending additional research.
Update: Eric Eaton Responds
Daniel:
Longhorn in the tribe Elaphidiini. The spiked antennal segments make it so. Tough to ID to genus even without more time and it is after 1 AM here now. Prompt me again if I don’t get back to it, please.
Eric
Letter 16 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: northern IL
September 3, 2013 6:10 am
Hi. I am writing again with better photos. We live adjacent to a forest preserve in northern Illinois and always have lots of bugs in our house. This one we saw frequently in the winter and I was wondering if they were coming in on our firewood since they moved so slowly like they had just been unexpectedly awakened from hibernation. But just recently I have seen a couple of these flying around our skylight, definitely not moving slowly. Is this some type of wasp? I keep looking at the wasp pages on this site and others but can’t seem to find it.
My son made me promise not to kill the bug to take the picture. The insect did not want to cooperate. I ended up putting him in the freezer for a minute and then taking some pictures while he was stunned. He seemed to recover okay.
Signature: mk in the woods
Dear mk in the woods,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and your guess that they came in with the firewood is most likely correct. The larvae are wood borers and the heat of the home may have caused them to emerge early. Your individual resembles members of the genus Neoclytus, but we cannot find an exact match on BugGuide. Many members of this genus resemble Yellow Jackets and other wasps and this can be an effective defense mechanism. You can also find some very interesting information on Bug Eric, which is Eric Eaton’s very entertaining blog.
Thank you for your help!
Mary
Letter 17 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Canada is Sarosesthes fulminans
Location: Ontario, Canada
January 3, 2014 1:51 pm
Hi there,
Hoping you can help me identify this bug!
Location: Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada
Season: Winter (December/January)
-boring oval shaped holes in oak firewood and possibly affecting elm and birch trees as well.
-Wood was brought into home in December, insects started appearing soon after.
-leaves small piles of sawdust outside of bore holes
-looks a lot like a banded alder borer, but wings are different
-makes an audible squeaking noise
Signature: Emily
Hi Emily,
We quickly identified your Longhorned Borer Beetle as Sarosesthes fulminans thanks to photos that are posted to BugGuide. The only information on the BugGuide information page is the habitat listed as: “under bark and sapwood of hardwoods, esp. chestnut and oak.” When the wood was brought indoors, the beetles were in either the larval or pupal stage. The indoor warmth caused them to emerge early. The holes are a result of the emergence. You do not need to worry about them infesting your home or your wooden furnishings. Many Longhorned Borer Beetles squeak when disturbed. The sound is caused by rubbing body parts together and it is known as stridulation. Putting a pin through a living insect might be considered cruelty to many folks.
Hi Daniel,
Thank you so much for your quick identification of the Sarosesthes fulminans! I was trying to get the ID for a third party (I personally would NEVER pin a living insect) and the photos were sent to me from a private citizen who thought it might be the invasive Asian Long horned beetle, which is a big concern in Ontario. I spent about an hour attempting to find the species online, and decided to try you site! (Most of the entomologists we normally deal with were still on Christmas vacation last week) I appreciate the information and your quick response! Thanks again!
Yours in Conservation,
Emily C Johnston
Invasive Species Intern
Invading Species Awareness Program
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
Thanks for the followup information Emily. Our editorial staff teaches at the college level and we just returned to work today, but we update the website from our home offices.
Letter 18 – Longhorned Borer Beetle found in England may be from Belize: Placosternus species
Location: Derbyshire, England
April 4, 2014 11:06 am
Hi,
Please could you help me identify this creature? I’ve been scrolling through photos for hours and had no luck. I’m afraid I’m completely ignorant with insects so I can’t even narrow my search.
I’ve found two of these in a Derbyshire bedroom at separate times over the last couple of weeks. I never seen them before, or anything similar, so I would like to know what they are if we’re sharing space.
I’m afraid I haven’t observed any useful behaviours, I just have this photo.
Thankyou for any help.
Signature: Rose
Hi Rose,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, but we have not had any luck identifying the species. It is not listed on Mark Telfer’s Longhorn Beetles page, nor on Eakring Birds. Did you get any new furniture in the room where you have found the beetles? We don’t want to be alarmist, but it is possible they emerged from the wood used in a new piece of furniture. We will continue trying to identify the species.
Hi,
There is a wooden bowl my brother bought back from Belize. Looking at it I can see three holes, two have dust around them and one looks like there is something still in it.
As it’s likely these beetles are foreign to my ecosystem, is there some precaution I should take?
Thank you so much for your speedy reply!
Rose.
Hi again Daniel,
I’ve just been in touch with my brother and he says it is a rosewood bowl bought in Placencia Belize that we think it has come from. Hope that can help with the identification?
Thanks again for all your help.
Rose
Hi Rose,
We believe you probably found the source of the introduction of these Longhorned Borers with the discovery of the wooden bowl and its holes. Many invasive species have been introduced in this manner to various parts of the world, however, we don’t think you need to fear that this tropical species will survive in your much colder English climate. We will see if we can find a match among species from Belize, though nearby Costa Rica shares many of the same species and there is more comprehensive data on Costa Rican species on the internet because of the ecotourism.
Additional Information and Identification courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Rose:
It looks like a species of Placosternus (Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Clytini) which includes the familiar Mesquite Borer (P. difficilis) that occurs as far north as the southern USA , and south to Honduras. There are four species of Placosternus altogether, all of which can be found in Belize, look very similar and include neotropical rosewoods as larval host plants. The adult coloration suggests that they may be wasp mimics. The commonly used rosewood species in Belize is the Honduras Rosewood (Dalbergia stevensoni). FYI, this species has long been a staple in the Belizian artisanal tourist industry (full disclosure – we also bought a few beautiful rosewood bowls in Belize a few years ago), but unfortunately, a massive increase in the harvest in recent years to feed Asian demand has caused concern and the Belizian government has recently implemented a ban on the harvest and export of rosewood. I am not sure if this includes the small-scale production and sale of carved products for the tourist trade. If so, this would be a serious and unfortunate hit on an important village-based income source. Regards. Karl
Thanks for doing this research Karl. We did notice the resemblance to the Mesquite Borer when we wrote the original identification, and we tried searching its tribe in England to see if there were any relatives.
Hi Karl and Daniel,
Thank you very much for solving the mystery! Thanks for all your time and effort.
Kindest regards,
Rose
Letter 19 – Linden Borer from Canada
Location: Montreal, QC
July 20, 2014 4:13 pm
Hello, we were intrigued by this bug spotted on our cedar tree. We wondered what it might be. It’s about an inch long, it’s a dull olive green and has four faint black spots.
We think it’s a beetle because of the elytra?
Cheers and thank you!
Signature: Snowpea
Dear Snowpea,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae. We will attempt to determine a species for you.
Eric Eaton provides an identification: Linden Borer
Hi, Daniel:
Sure, this is a “Linden Borer,” Saperda vestita. Nice beetle!
Eric
Letter 20 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Argentina
Location: Laguna Paiva, Santa Fe, Argentina
November 10, 2015 2:20 am
Hi! i found this kind of beetle in my grandfather´s backyard, i was searching for like 2 hours now in bugGuide.net but i coldn’t find a perfect match yet, i think that it could be from the Meloidae or Oedemeridae families but i-m not sure… this photo was taken in Santa Fe, Argentina. thanks in advance!
Signature: Guille
Dear Guille,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and BugGuide will only be helpful with identifying North American species. Your individual may be Erythrochiton jucundum which we found on the Butterflies and Beetles of Argentina site as well as the Galeria de Especies Determinadas Cerambycinae site. This is not an uncommon color pattern, and we would not rule out that it is a different species.
Letter 21 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: Nevada, Texas
February 2, 2016 10:17 am
Hi, I’d like to identify this little guy for peace of mind – he was in my baby’s play room (and inside my shirt) and I’d like to know that he wasn’t poisonous. I threw him unceremoniously outside.
Signature: Jessica
Dear Jessica,
There is not enough detail in your image to identify this beyond the family level. This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and it is not venomous. Members of this family spend their larval stage boring in wood, and they need strong mandibles to chew their way to the surface after maturity, so they are capable of delivering a painful, but not generally dangerous bite. Large individual might even draw blood. Individual found indoors frequently emerge from firewood that was brought inside. They will not infest the wood used in the construction of a home, so they pose no threat to your home.
Letter 22 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Canada: Sarosesthes fulminans
Location: coldwater ontario canada
February 1, 2016 6:35 pm
Hi we have these in our house occasionally, we think they are coming in on our firewood. The wood is ash and oak. The house is only a year old and was built in the winter
Signature: Keith Prentice
Dear Keith,
We turned to our copy of Arthur V. Evans excellent book “Beetles of Eastern North America” as it is easier to scan than many online sources. We believe we have correctly identified your Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae as Sarosesthes fulminans which is described as having: “a distinctive eyespot on the pronotum and angulate bands on elytra. Larvae tunnel under bark and in sapwood of hardwoods, especially chestnut (Castanea), oak (Quercus), and walnut (Juglans). Adults are attracted to light and bait traps in late spring and summer. Quebec and Ontario to North Carolina, west to Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas.” This image from BugGuide looks very much like your individual. You are most likely correct that your indoor, winter sighting is related to oak firewood.
Letter 23 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: California, Central Valley
May 31, 2016 2:54 pm
We continue to have these bugs pop in our house. Not sure what they are. We live in manteca California central valley.
Signature: Matt
Dear Matt,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, but we are uncertain of the species. We will attempt to contact beetle expert Arthur Evans to see if he can provide a more specific identification.
Letter 24 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Argentina
Location: Argentina
December 9, 2016 9:57 am
Found it under a tree
Signature: Frosiano
Dear Frosiano,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we actually very quickly identified it as Paromoeocerus barbicornis thanks to the Eco Registros site. There are also images on Meloidae (though that is the Blister Beetle family) and on BioLib.
Thanks! Spot on. You’ve been very helpful!
Letter 25 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: Ohio
January 27, 2017 8:14 am
I woke up with two of these laying on me , I can’t figure out what they are.
Signature: Kaitlynn
Dear Kaitlynn,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. Considering your location and the time of year, we can think of two reasons why you encountered them. The larvae of Longhorned Borer Beetles are found boring in wood, and they are often very species specific regarding food, sometimes feeding on a single species of tree. If you have a wood burning stove or fireplace and you have a wood pile indoors, it might be a local species that emerged early due to the warmth indoors. It is also possible that some species can survive in milled lumber. It is not unknown for adult beetles to emerge from a piece of furniture (new bed perhaps?) or newly installed wood paneling. On a positive note, they will not lay eggs in furniture or structural wood, so one they have emerged, they will NOT reproduce in your home. Unfortunately, we cannot determine the species from your image.
Letter 26 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Australia
Location: Giru, queensland, oz
February 2, 2017 9:10 pm
Hi, I found lots of these little beetles (some mating too) on pumpkin and cucumber vines in the garden… not sure if they’re eating them, just trying to identify them but not getting anywhere! They’re fast movers, and good at scaling sides and tops of things, but got a pic of one. They’re 5-6mm. Thanks so much for your help!
Signature: Holi
Dear Holi,
We have tried searching both Checkered Beetles and Longhorn Beetles to ascertain the identity of your interesting individual. We then wrote to Eric Eaton and he made the identification for us.
Eric Eaton Provides Identification
Daniel:
I had to really dig, but I think I found it. Indeed it is a flat-faced longhorned beetle, family Cerambycidae, subfamily Lamiinae, and the genus Apomecyna, pretty sure:
http://www.ento.csiro.au/biology/cerambycidae/cerambycidae.html#
I hope the above link works to get you the image I am looking at, which is essentially identical to the specimen in the images you e-mailed.
There are some really, REALLY weird longhorned beetles in Australia! Just do a Google image search and be blown away!
Have a great weekend.
Eric
author, Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America
http://bugeric.blogspot.com/
Ed. Note: Eric’s link took us to the site. We found Apomecyna histrio on this Csiro page.
Letter 27 – Longhorned Borer Beetle
Location: tennessee
June 28, 2017 2:36 pm
This thing definitely caught my eye has long back legs like a grasshopper can fly and has an awesome design on its back
Signature: dwyrick
Dear dwyrick,
This is a wasp-mimicking Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and the Tribe Clytini, but we are unsure of the genus or species. There are many similar looking species in both the genus Clytus (see BugGuide) and the genus Neoclytus (see BugGuide). Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide a species identification.
Letter 28 – Longhorned Borer Beetle endemic to the Canary Islands
Geographic location of the bug: Teror, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Date: 02/03/2018
Time: 08:54 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi,
Just wondered what it was as it wandered across our table today!
How you want your letter signed: Caitlin Hotham
Dear Caitlin,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we believe we have identified it as Deroplia albida thanks to images posted on Old World Cerambycidae Catalog and on Tenerife 2010. According to Cerambycidae: “Deroplia gertiana is a nocturnal species endemic to Tenerife (Canary Islands). The species is polyphagous on herbaceous plants, shrubs and also deciduous trees (Ficus carica).”
Letter 29 – Longhorned Borer Beetle from Canada
Geographic location of the bug: quebec, canada
Date: 12/26/2018
Time: 08:50 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: just found 2 of those in 2 min, live in quebec (canada), just want to make sure this is nothing to be alarmed about. thanks a lot for the help
How you want your letter signed: what is this bug ?
Your image is lacking visual sharpness so an exact species identification might not be possible, but this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It appears that it might be a member of the genus Neoclytus. Regardless of the species, the larvae of members of the family Cerambycidae are wood borers. Do you have a fireplace? Do you store firewood indoors? We suspect the indoor heat has caused these adults to emerge early from firewood. They will not infest milled wood or furniture in your home.
You are correct. The emerging Longhorned Borer Beetles may be a nuisance, but they will not damage your home. Adults often feed on pollen or other substances, but they do not eat wood. Only the larvae feed on wood. According to BugGuide: “Many adults (esp. the brightly colored ones) feed on flowers. Adult feeding habits variable; some species take nourishment from sap, leaves, blossoms, fruit, bark, and fungi, often not associated with larval hosts; others take little or no food”
Letter 30 – Longhorned Borer Beetle: Ipochus fasciatus
Geographic location of the bug: San Diego CA 92110
Date: 07/24/2019
Time: 05:59 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I’m trying to identify the following bug. It is about 1/8″ – 3/16″ long, black with hints of yellow, long antenna, and hair. I believe that it latched onto me while I was hiking through an area near a pepper tree and pine tree. I’ve searched the Internet without luck, but not the Dark Web Thanks!
How you want your letter signed: RedSect Bug Lover
Dear RedSect Bug Lover,
We hope you are not considering us the Dark Web. This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and we actually thought we were going to have a much more difficult time identifying it than we had. We quickly identified it as Ipochus fasciatus on BugGuide. According to Oxford Academic Group: “Ipochus fasciatus LeConte apparently has newly, but imperfectly, adapted to feed and oviposit in milk thistle, Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertner, an alien, herbaceous, annual weed in southern California. This polyphagous, native cerambycid previously was known only from woody, perennial host plants.” Knowing it has adapted to feeding on the invasive Milk Thistle is a good thing.
Hi again RedSect,
Several of the plants in the list on your attached screenshot are growing in the WTB? gardens, including Laurel Leaf Sumac, Oak, Willow and endangered California Black Walnut. We will keep an eye out for this diminutive Longhorned Borer Beetle.
Letter 31 – Longhorned Borer Beetle: Clytus ruricola
Geographic location of the bug: Cold Spring, NY, USA
Date: 06/05/2020
Time: 10:24 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Found this near a pond on my deck. I’ve never seen a beetle like this before. I have no idea what this is.
How you want your letter signed: Rich
Dear Rich,
The Sugar Maple Borer is a much larger and even more colorful Beetle. Your individual is also a member of the Longhorned Borer Beetle family Cerambycidae, and we believe we have identified it as Clytus ruricola, a species with no common name, thanks to images on BugGuide. According to BugGuide: “Larvae in decaying hardwoods, esp. maple (Acer)” so it is theoretically a “Maple Borer.”
The post Do Longhorned Beetles Bite? appeared first on What's That Bug?.
No comments:
Post a Comment