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Post by bobby1 on Jun 18, 2011 23:23:12 GMT -5
I caught this one last night. It is about 2" long (body length). I'm not very good at identifying bugs of this nature. I haven't seen any like this around before. Bob  |
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Post by ColtChainmailJewelryDesigns on Jun 18, 2011 23:36:22 GMT -5
Ahhhh, I hate those things!!! At my aunt's house Over on this side of the lake, they are everywhere!!!!! They make a odd noise too. I don't know the name of them, but just letting you know they are not from africa and won't bit your head off!! hehe!
~Colt
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Post by gr on Jun 18, 2011 23:41:28 GMT -5
I believe it is called a Japanese beetle. They will light wooden matches for ya with those pincher's. They will also draw blood so watch your fingers when you pick them up. They make noise when you pick em up
gr
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Post by mohs on Jun 19, 2011 0:28:04 GMT -5
The Beatles never played in Japan to the best of my knowledge, but I digress I've know of them as Japanese Beatles also !! The type we get in Phoenix have a jet black shell big buggers! Seasonal they only show up in 20 year cycles or so 40 years ago I was riding a bike at the end of a dark street there were 100's of those buggers on the ground I weaved my way through  gingerly !! Also heard of a flock that flew into the lights of baseball stadium i think they brought out the tarps for the people ;D o boy there back! |
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Post by mohs on Jun 19, 2011 0:33:02 GMT -5
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Post by mohs on Jun 19, 2011 0:38:01 GMT -5
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nuevomundo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2010
Posts: 222
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Post by nuevomundo on Jun 19, 2011 5:37:08 GMT -5
I'll bet a dime to a doughnut that that is a Prionus californicus (AKA California prionous beetle)
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,504
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 19, 2011 7:57:58 GMT -5
Yep, nuevo is correct. That one of the Prionus beetles. Sometimes called the Tile Horned Beetle. They feed on the roots of oak trees and were super common at our old ranch at Hornitos, CA so they would be abundant in your area too. Japanese beetles are scarabs and only about 1/3 inch long and metallic. Prionus can go almost three inches long. They can pinch and they scrape their elytra making a funny screeching sound. Used to sound like a rock buzzing into the windows at night.
Deep, You do have rhino beetles in Phoenix but not that one. That one be a foreigner.....Mel
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Post by bobby1 on Jun 19, 2011 9:29:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the ID and info.
Mel,
If I look out my back window and see my newly planted (3 years ago) oak trees tilted at a precarious angle can I blame these beetles or should I blame those ****&%($#@!!! gophers?
I wanted to replace the native Valley Oaks that are in the area but the local tree nursery only carried Bur Oaks, Palo Verde Oaks and one that he misidentified as an Englemann. I worry that our once very abundant native Valley Oaks are becoming threatened due to development and grazing. In the omnipresent grazing of the open areas I don't see any young oaks.....just very old dying ones and it is depressing.
Bob
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Post by mohs on Jun 19, 2011 11:32:37 GMT -5
Thank Mel !!
Illegal beetles ?
Imagine that !
Ha ha
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,504
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 19, 2011 13:13:14 GMT -5
Bob: Man you are right about those dang gophers. So strange not to have them here where we live now in Texas. At our Hornitos ranch, I actually trapped so many that I froze them up to take to the raptor center to feed our owls. Gophers are very damaging to young oaks or any newly planted tree. The Prionus beetles can and do kill oak trees as the larva is huge. Overwatered trees are usually very attractive to the beetles but any are at risk and there's no real control method. I know at our ranch we were planting lots of new trees and between the gophers, jack rabbits, grasshoppers, fire ants, deer, and beetles, few survived. Surprisingly enough, the best success rate we had was with Italian Stone Pines. Not native but the worse damage we took on those was from deer rubbing their antlers on them and debarking them. Other than that they were fast growers and had few pest problems. The saddest planting was some very rare and special apple trees an Israeli friend gave me. Special low water desert adapted hybrids but apparently there are few pest critters in Israel because the critters had a special party when I planted that block of trees *L*....Mel
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gingerly !! 
