What is this bug?
I've never seen this bug before and have searched but cannot find the name of it (nor if it's friend or foe of my garden). I first saw it on my cucumber leaves, then on my potato plant. I live in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone know?
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applestar
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Started the search with wasp mimic plant bug >>> found it >>> Locust Borer - Megacyllene robiniae - BugGuide.Net
https://bugguide.net/node/view/149900 ...hmm maybe not EXACTLY it -- the patterns look a little bit different...
--well, my DD who is an artist says they are the same.
https://bugguide.net/node/view/149900 ...hmm maybe not EXACTLY it -- the patterns look a little bit different...
--well, my DD who is an artist says they are the same.
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rainbowgardener
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Good job, I think you nailed it, applestar!
My first thought was maybe that means it is a beneficial if it bores into locusts (like grasshoppers). But I looked it up:
The locust borer beetle is native to North America. It attacks only black locust trees of the genus Robinia, which originally grew only in the Allegheny and Ozark mountain regions. Due to its ability to thrive in poor soils, the black locust has been widely used as a shade tree and in reclaiming land damaged by farming and strip mining. The locust borer beetle has extended its range as a result. It is now found over most of the U.S. and southern Canada. https://www.cirrusimage.com/beetles_locust_borer.htm
At least it is specific/ limited in what it attacks.
My first thought was maybe that means it is a beneficial if it bores into locusts (like grasshoppers). But I looked it up:
The locust borer beetle is native to North America. It attacks only black locust trees of the genus Robinia, which originally grew only in the Allegheny and Ozark mountain regions. Due to its ability to thrive in poor soils, the black locust has been widely used as a shade tree and in reclaiming land damaged by farming and strip mining. The locust borer beetle has extended its range as a result. It is now found over most of the U.S. and southern Canada. https://www.cirrusimage.com/beetles_locust_borer.htm
At least it is specific/ limited in what it attacks.