As a relative of the long-horned beetle family, the cottonwood borer beetle lives near river banks and wooded areas with cottonwood, willow and poplar trees.

The cottonwood borer has a distinctive marked body. With the black rectangle pattern on their creamy white to yellow body and wings, these beetles can reach up to 1.25 inches long with their antennae being just as long or even longer than their body.

A great number of beetles attack trees but very few have root borer larvae. This means the larvae, after hatching, tunnel deeper into the ground.

The female will lay her eggs at the base of a tree where she has chewed out a small area to lay one egg per hole, then covers it back up with the sawdust. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae begin to chew their way down the root of the tree, taking up to 2 years to mature.

Once it’s matured, the adult beetles will begin digging their way up to the surface emerging from May to early July. You can often find the adults on an infested tree’s greenery during the day.

Cottonwood borers are only harmful to trees. Mature trees that are infested won’t be seriously damaged unlike younger more vulnerable trees that haven’t had time to fully mature and strengthen their roots.

Terrible for trees or not these guys are cool looking!

To help save your trees from destruction, contact us today for all your pest control needs. Safe Earth Pest Control 214-321-2847