
Adults are black, 3/4 of an inch long with a series of bright yellow lines running across the
entire body. On the elytra (wing covers) the bands are V-shaped and on the base on the
wings they form a distinct "W." The legs and long antennae are yellow to reddish. Adults
emerge about the time goldenrod blooms, in late summer or early fall, and are frequently
observed feeding on the pollen of goldenrod and other flowers during the morning hours.
During peak egg-laying in late September, the females deposit 100-200 small, white, oval
eggs singly or in groups of 6 to 8 in bark crevices and around wounds on the trunk and larger
branches. Eggs hatch in 5 to 8 days and the small white larvae (immatures or grubs) bore into
the inner bark where they pass the winter as first instar larvae. Larvae resume feeding about
the time leaf buds begin to swell in the spring. Larvae bore into the sapwood and eventually
into the heartwood, producing a tunnel 3-4 inches long.
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