SALE! Start your year with EBSQ for just $6.50/month! Click here for details.

Art Show: Macro Bug Photography

Locust Borer Beetle - Megacyllene robiniae

by Theodora Demetriades

Banner for Macro Bug Photography art show

Art: Locust Borer Beetle - Megacyllene robiniae by Artist Theodora Demetriades
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.

Comments

By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines.



© 2000-2025 EBSQ, LLC - All rights reserved - Original artists retain all rights
EBSQ Self Representing Artists - is a division of EBSQ, LLC
ladylike-spiral