About longhorn beetles

 

The longhorns are beetles with narrow bodies and long feelers. Many longhorn beetles have colourful wing cases (elytra), while others only have a tree bark coloured pattern. We meet the mature insects (imagos) in summer on the flowers and leaves of plants and on tree trunks. The larvae of the longhorns, called grubs, develop in wood. Since wood is poor in nutrients the development of the grubs may last several years. Because of this some longhorns do damage in forests. Each longhorn species prefers one or a few specific tree species.

 

 

 

Each wing case has two black spots. The grubs in dead spruce or deciduous tree wood.

 

 

 

Wing cases yellowish-grey, with two brownish-yellow cross bands in the centre, separated on the sides by a large black spot. The grubs under the bark of trunks and stumps of dead broadleaf trees.

 

 

 

Gleaming green. With strong characteristic odour. Grubs in old willows.

 

 

 

Wing cases banded in yellow and black. Grubs in deciduous trees.

 

 

 

Female’s wing cases red, tip and seam black. Grubs in both deciduous trees and conifers.

 

 

 

Male’s wing cases ochre yellow. Grubs in conifers.

 

The Brachyta interrogationis  and Xylotrechus rusticus beetles (see below) are no longer to be seen in nature this year.

 

 

 

Three black spots on the outer edge of both wing covers, on the back a curved black lengthwise stripe. Grubs in old pine or birch wood.

 

 

 

2-3 curved lighter cross bands on the grey elytra. Grubs in aspens.

 

Translator's note: Insects often have no generally agreed-on common names in all languages. Thus some English names are lacking in the above article.