Beetles

If you own, rent a home, or work in a garden, you’ve likely encountered the insect known as the beetle. You probably didn’t know what type of beetle you were looking at, but you probably knew you were looking at a beetle. While there are literally thousands on top of thousands of species, knowing that you were looking at a beetle is a good starting point. Believe it or not, these insects are interesting with unique characteristics. Starting with the fact that many consider them both helpful and harmful to the environment because they commonly feed on other insects.

Regardless, learning to identify each specific species will only help you with your elimination and detection efforts.

Stag Beetles

Stag beetles are ones with incredibly large mandibles for their size. Some refer to these mandibles as pincers, which is kind of where the beetle gets its namesake. The pincers resemble that of the stag deer. These beetles are shiny brown and black with large, pronounced mandibles. While the female of the species does have smaller pincers, this affords her the ability to produce a more powerful pinch than the male. Despite their intimidating appearance, these insects are not venomous or harmful in any way. They belong to the Lucanidae Family and oftentimes can be found in rotting stumps and logs, where they’ll prey on other insects.

The adults of the species are commonly attracted to light. It would not be uncommon to find these flyers buzzing around your porch lights on a summer, sunny evening.

Hercules Beetles

With the name Hercules, you can probably gather the fact that this one is also a rather large species. This extremely large beetle can be found in America, but mostly in tropical climates. In these environments, these beetles can thrive and grow to their largest possible size. With their black-spotted bodies, these insects produce an interesting look. They are commonly found in large colonies on trees. These are also harmless despite their large size.

Grapevine Beetles

During the early summer in Eastern North America and as far south as Florida, the Grapevine Beetle can be found gathering around light. This species is considered handsome and gets its name from the fact that they feed on grapevines. If you are from the south, you’ve probably heard these beautiful beauties referred to as June Bugs. This specific species is not really considered a pest, as they only stand to produce minor amounts of damage.

These very active flyers are not unlikely to quickly buzz off at the first sight of trouble. They like to take up residence in hedges, woods, and overgrown areas, where the larvae will feed on rotten wood underneath the soil. They pupate in shallow chambers in the ground and the adult version of the beetle will emerge right at the beginning of summer.

Ten-Lined June Beetle

Being a close relative of the Grapevine Beetle, this insect emits a large, showy presence. They are also attracted to light in and around the home in urban areas. This insect is extremely common in the southwestern parts of the United States. The Ten-Lined Beetle has an interesting way of defending itself, as it will suddenly start making loud, vibrating buzzes. If you were to pick one up, it would literally buzz or vibrate in your hand. It would be quite startling for a child who happened upon one and picked it up.

Contact Us

As you can see, the list of beetle species can be extensive. Properly identifying them in the field can be even more problematic, but this is what we are here for. All you must do is reach out to our local offices and we’ll get someone out on your property immediately to handle the issue.

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