What kind of critter is this?

[BuddhaKat]

Here's a cute little guy I found nestled in a hole in a Ponderosa Pine. Not sure what he is, but he sure is handsome.

Here's one from the top:

Here's another one I found in the same tree. I suspect this is probably the same species, just at a different larval state.

Anyone know what kind of bugs these are?

 

[RPM]

Some kind of wood borer - I would guess some kinda long horn beetle maybe (Cerambycidae). Was the tree dead?

 

[Tree Sling'r]

Wood grubs.

 

[BuddhaKat]

Some kind of wood borer - I would guess some kinda long horn beetle maybe (Cerambycidae). Was the tree dead?

Yes, about 2 years. Nice and dry. It had bored a rather nice size cavity to do its thing in. I'm thinking I might just go ahead and let it finish out it's cooking just to see what comes out of the pupae.

I suppose I should have mentioned that this is a big bug. Probably around 1¼" long by 3/8" Ø.

He's just so cute!!

 

[RPM]

Yes, about 2 years. Nice and dry. It had bored a rather nice size cavity to do its thing in. I'm thinking I might just go ahead and let it finish out it's cooking just to see what comes out of the pupae.

They like the dead stuff and some of the bore holes are big enough to stick a pinkie finger in. Last year we a stand of spruce that was beetle killed and thought that it would make a good sale for house logs (log homes). The log buyer for the log home company came and took a look and said we were too late - it was full of borers. He said that hes been in new log homes where you could hear the little bastards munching away in the logs....much to the dismay of the owner....they go away eventually.

The long horn borers are probably the most common. Long horn being their antennae - and then the antennae are longer than the body. The other ones I see around here are the metallic wood borers (Buprestidae)

I just looked at the photos again...you can see the antennae going down the side of the body fromthe head....Long Horn Beetle - might be this guy! http://bugguide.net/node/view/148970

 

[GASoline71]

Wood grubs.

Yep... we see 'em here in Eastern WA in Tamarack and Ponderosa...

Gary

 

[deeker]

A gobby????

 

[BuddhaKat]

Well the bugguide website came through. My little friend is a Japanese Pine Sawyer Beetle. Good call RPM. It's a Longhorn Beetle, (Cerambycidae). Specifically, we're looking at a Monochamus alternatus, (Hope).

On their own they're pretty harmless, but they are a known carrier of the pinewood nematode. They're a nasty little bugger.

Grows up to be a really pretty critter too. I like her eyes.

 

[BuddhaKat]

A gobby????

Nah, if it was a Gobby I would have immediately not liked it and probably would have fed it to a blind duck.