Ten Beetles Native to Virginia

A staggering 40% of known insects are beetles, with a similar percentage of beetles native to Virginia. About 200 species of beetles now live in Virginia, and come in all sizes, shapes, and colors.

Unfortunately, some are considered pests, while others are actually harmless. Virginia is like most states. The entire state is a vast expanse of nature that dwarfs urban, suburban, and small-town areas. If you want to know how much forest there is in your state, take a plane.

Beetles are an important part of the entire Virginia ecosphere, but like anything else, they have their ups and downs. It is very difficult to pinpoint native beetle species, but the opposite is true when it comes to identifying insects native to Virginia.

1. Flat-Headed Bald Cypress Sapwood Beetle

One thing is certain. This beetle has one of the longest names he has of any beetle in the state. Considered a “rare” species in the state, the beetle is most frequently sighted in Richmond, Virginia. It is a fairly small bug, about 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, and its body is covered with black and yellow spots.

The pinworm is a “hard” worm that feels like a small stone when pinched. They tend to burrow in all kinds of trees, and sometimes even the odd telephone pole. An intricate pattern of yellow and black warns potential predators to stay away.

Predators see the yellow and black markings and mistake pinworms for bumblebees and other stinging insects. Although they are considered rare, they have nothing to protect and are not on the endangered species list.

2. Fire-Colored Beetle

Flame-coloured beetles look disgusting in their larval stages. But as an adult, it resembles a simple love beetle. It features a long black body and a small red head. There is also a reversed version with a fiery red body and a dark black head.

In any case, they are not as intimidating as the larvae. Larvae are twice as long as adults, often measuring 1.35 inches. Adults are even smaller, often less than 3/4 of an inch he is. Also, while the adult animal looks quite normal, the larvae are ugly and have harmless pincers.

Hero bugs have long wings, but they cannot fly anywhere. Instead, it flaps its wings and glides from one place to another, like a palm beetle half-flying. This is also the reason why a lot of droplets adhere to the windshield.

3. Emerald Ash-Borer

Another of many metallic-colored beetles, the Emerald Ashborer, as its name suggests, has an emerald metallic appearance. Adult males are usually 1/2 inch long when fully grown, but no, they don’t like ash. Rather they prefer ash hospitality.

Emerald ash borers are responsible for the massive destruction of ash forests. Like many beetle species, they prefer to burrow into ash trees, where they build their nests and where most of their life cycle takes place.

The harm threatens millions of ash trees worldwide, including in Virginia. They are usually exterminated when park officials find them, but otherwise the devastating and long-term consequences are likely to occur.

4. Click Beetle

Click beetles are interesting beetles with giant eyelash extension-like antennae. It got its name because it makes a clicking sound when you tap your feet. They are very small, only about 1/10 to 1/8 inch long, and are usually dark brown in color, contrasting with the black ciliate antennae.

As they are nocturnal beetles, they are rarely seen outside during the day. But when you turn on the light on your balcony, sooner or later you’ll imagine it. The dark brown appearance is great for camouflage, making it difficult to spot at night and day. These tick gliders are herbivores, so don’t worry about being stung or bitten. It also keeps mosquitoes away at night.

5. Earth-Boring Scarab Beetle

Digging scarabs look like a cross between a spider and a Kevlar helmet. Thick, hairy legs protrude from a candied orange-brown, segmented, rounded carapace. It also has multiple black markings on its body and is shaped like a bulldog.

They’re not the biggest beetles, but they’re not the smallest either. Usually about 1/4 inch in size. Unlike emerald ashborers, earthborers are vital to the environment, feeding on feces, rotting meat, fungi, and other harmful substances left behind by others.

You’re basically a jack of all trades, master janitor who can’t clean. They don’t focus on one specific thing like dung beetles. Rather, they focus on many things. They burrow under the bark of trees to give birth to their young, but they fall short of the much more destructive level of burrowing.

6. Flower Longhorn Beetle

The flower longhorn beetle is he one of the long beetles native to Virginia. Similar in shape to the fire-colored beetle, but longer. As the name suggests, longhorn beetles spend much of their free time feeding on pollen. Therefore, the chances of finding them in fields full of wildflowers are always high.

Brown, similar to German cockroaches, with black or yellow wing tips and a black and yellow splash just below the head.

As pollinators, longhorn beetles are almost as effective as bees, but they cannot fly with the same precision. They tend to go indoors and scare people when they fly straight from point A to point B. However, they are mostly harmless.

7. Ant-Like Longhorn Beetle

The ant-like longhorn beetle got its name from its ant-like appearance. imagine. They belong to the giant tree-burrowing beetles, and that is exactly what they do. It’s not as destructive as the Emerald Ash Auger, but it can cause problems if you get enough of it.

The ant-like longhorned beetle grows to about half an inch long as an adult and likes to avoid human habitation. So don’t expect to find it there. If they do get into your home, it’s rare and mostly accidental.

Due to its diverse tree selection, it is not as destructive as other bark beetle species. Ant species prefer ash, maple, hemlock, fir, oak and pine. Diversifying the tree selection in this way ensures that no single tree species is particularly adversely affected.

8. Big Dipper Fire Fly

Beetles of this species avoid trees completely, both as adults and as larvae. Giant ladle fireflies are usually found by knocking down large pieces of rocks or felled trees in remote areas. Your life cycle begins there and ends there.

But while little is known about where they sleep, much less is known about what they do. Dipper fireflies love to put on a show during mating season (May to September), lighting up the night sky with an iridescent glow from their abdomens.

The flying and glowing appearance of the male suggests that he hops through the air, mixing the fluids in his abdomen and causing a chemical reaction that ignites bioluminescence. No matter how you do it, it’s impressive to see thousands of people flocking to open grasslands at dusk.

9. Black Carpet Beetle

Adding a carpet beetle to your list is always a good idea. It reminds people that there are bugs feasting on the carpet. There are many beetles (actually, he’s over 400 species), but the black beetle is definitely one of them.

Like all carpet beetles, black carpet beetles feed primarily on keratin, which is found in human and animal hair. There is no better place for the black carpet beetle, as human and pet hair will end up on the carpet.

If you don’t find it early, it will eat into the corners of your carpet and make holes.

10. Black Vine Weevil

The pickle weevil sounds like a pretty sneaky little bug. Unfortunately, even if you’re having a particularly bad day, it can destroy your crop. They mostly prefer plants in the very early stages, but they also eat most vegetables.

Worse, they lay their eggs on these crops and feast on the maggots when they hatch, only to eat more during the transformation. Larvae feed on roots and adults on leaves and stems.

The adult vine weevil is about 1.25 cm (1.25 cm) long and is all black except for the yellow legs, which can be dark enough to form the adjective “brown”.