Wisconsin is home to 170 to 180 species of beetles. It may not sound like much, but coleoptera are the largest group of animals in the world, and Wisconsin certainly has more than enough beetles.
Wisconsin is a beautiful state, and it’s easy to spend more time looking around than exploring the tiny insects that live here. Certainly, some bugs are incredibly destructive, whether due to damage to man-made structures or the natural environment itself.
But in many cases, beetles are a necessary part of ecology, as they nourish the soil, promote natural rot, pollinate, and exterminate local pesky insects. From the American aphid beetle to the Carolina pine his sawyer, here are 10 of his beetle species native to Wisconsin.
1. Calligrapha Beetle
Well, this is a very good bug to start with. Similar to a standard ladybug but slightly larger at 0.4 inches. Calligrapha beetles are not destructive. At worst, it helps mowing the lawn.
They like to eat grasses, dandelions, and other plants that grow near the ground. Occasionally it can cause a bit of trouble for your flower garden, but it’s not that crazy. It has a wing shape and pattern similar to that of a ladybug, but the red color of the wings has faded or broken.
It resembles a speck rather than a neat little black dot. They love grasses and lowland plants, so you’re likely to spot them in your garden or when you’re out with your dog. Don’t worry; it’s not dangerous for your dog, cat, or your home.
2. American Oil Beetle
The American aphid beetle is a member of the blister beetle, so if you find one, you should leave it alone. Blister beetles secrete protective chemicals that can cause everything from minor burns to severe blisters. As the name suggests, they are all black with occasional amber spots or bullet-like appendages.
Although rare, some American aphids are dark orange instead of black. They are efficient pollinators and spend most of the day feeding on pollen and nectar.
If left untouched, Aphids should be a welcome addition to your flower garden. Aphids also kill and eat aphids and other harmful insects, so having aphids in your garden has two advantages for him.
3. Case Bearing Life Beetle
This Beetle should win the “Most Interesting Name of the Week” award. No, Lifebugs don’t carry suitcases, but their lower bodies appear to be permanently cocooned.
In fact, that’s what her stomach looks like. This “case” is a rigid structure with a bumpy, gritty texture. The thorax and head are usually bright, bright orange. In other words, it looks like a very interesting and colorful insect trying (and failing) to come out of its shell.
The coolest thing is they make cases out of their poop. Bugs are endlessly funny. Adult males are just over a quarter inch long, so they are not the largest of any Wisconsin beetle. But they are probably one of the most unique.
4. Carolina Pine Sawyer
This beetle stands out in the crowd with its unusually long antennae. Their name is at least partly derived from their fondness for eating pine trees. Luckily, their diet puts only a small strain on the tree. The problem is the side effects. Carolina pine sawyers usually carry several nematodes on their body.
When the pine sawmill finishes cutting, the nematodes leave and enter the tree through new wounds. Currently, pine trees are infected with nematodes, and the threat to trees is increasing exponentially.
Carolina Pine Sawyer, classified as a longhorn beetle, is a victim of friends. They are dark brown in color and have a texture similar to the bark they feed on. It’s easily recognizable as a pine sawmill, as its antennae are twice as long as its body.
5. Clay-Colored Billbug
I had to squeeze a weevil down here somewhere, and then a few clay-coloured beaks popped up. This intriguing little creature has a snout eerily resembling an anteater. Most of the characteristic colors are dark glossy browns.
However, the carapace pattern consists of a series of cream-colored vertical lines. The “beak” or mouth, if you want to call it that, is completely black. They may be terrifying insects to some, but they are usually harmless and feed on tall grasses and reeds.
Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, known as the Great Lakes, are directly adjacent to Wisconsin, so there are many places for clay-colored beaks to explore and feed.
6. American Carrion Beetle
The American carrion beetle is one of the broadest types of beetles on our list, with a yellow head and black body. Its wings are large and make up the carrion’s entire body, except for the head. The wings are also quite textured, like freshly poured unfinished concrete.
In the center of their yellow head is a distinct flaky black star-shaped dot. They mostly live on mushrooms and rotten fruit that fell from some tree long ago. However, as the name suggests, they prefer to eat meat from dead animals.
American hedgehogs smell rotting, sometimes miles away, and instinctively fly there. They not only eat it, but they also lay eggs in it, providing a host to feed on while the newborn grows and transforms.
7. Black Caterpillar Hunter
It sounds like a cool movie, but Black Caterpillar Hunter is just a normal looking bug. It is black all over and has an oval belly. If you look closely, you can see a series of lines running vertically from the start of the segmentation to the end.
There is also a series of small dots that run parallel to the stripes. Often these orange or pale red dots are so small that they are easy to miss. They are very large, often just over half an inch. They are named after their favorite food, the caterpillar.
Black caterpillar hunters spend most of their lives crawling on the ground, eating leaves, grass, and other debris, but kill and eat caterpillars as soon as they spot them. However, they only feed on caterpillars, and females prefer to lay eggs on the ground rather than caterpillar carcasses.
8. Bicolored Flower Longhorn
Wisconsin is home to a lot of bugs, so it makes sense to buy flowers around here. This special version, a two-tone floral longhorn, is a real eye-catcher. A very tall and graceful member of the beetle family, this species of longhorn beetle is truly two-coloured.
The abdomen is generally black, and the longhorn’s legs, head, thorax, and rear end of the body are amber. In some ways, it resembles a praying mantis without the intimidating element and large size.
They are excellent pollinators, so they should be very welcome in your garden. However, when it comes time to hatch and lay eggs, the females head for the forest. The bicolor beetle larvae feed on dead bark, so they require multiple gardens to grow.
9. Bee-Like Flower Scarab Beetle
The bee-like flower chafers resemble large bumblebees that swarm in early spring. This scarab even has the fine hair and color typical of a bumblebee.
The body color is mostly black with yellow and black stripes on the body. This coloration is a defense mechanism designed to trick potential predators into believing that this beetle is a stinging bumblebee.
Most birds and other predators will wisely move on when they see a bee-like scarab. Like bumblebees, bee-like flower scarabs are pollinators, feeding mainly on nectar and pollen. Their children mainly eat any organic matter they can find.
10. Banded Net-Winged Beetle
Not only does it sound super cool, the striped spider is also impressive to look at. Its wings feature two large orange bands and he two equally large black bands. The head transforms the bands from a horizontal pattern on the wings to a vertical one, flanked by a single black band in the center in orange.
Unfortunately, their dolls don’t look all that impressive. You have to grow to match her appearance. Striped spiders are mostly harmless and feed on a wide variety of plants and grasses.
Their bodies are full of chemicals that taste awful to a wide variety of potential predators.