Fun Banded Ash Borer Facts For Kids

The banded ash borer (Neoclytus caprea) can be found throughout the regions of eastern Canada as well as the United States. They are more commonly known as longhorn beetles because of their long antennae.

They can be found on various species of trees, namely the ash tree, elm, hickory, mesquite as well as sometimes on the white oak tree. Like all other species of beetles, they go through four different life cycles.

These are egg, larvae, pupil, and adult. Eggs are laid by the female on the bark of trees during the early spring. Once they reach the larvae stage, they are also known as roundheaded borers when they feed on the sapwood of trees.

After completing the pupil stage, adults emerge during the upcoming spring. An adult beetle is often confused with a wasp because of the striking similarity in both their appearances.

The body of this beetle is dark brown to black in color and is covered with yellow ring-like structures or bands. The daily source of food for this insect is dead and decaying ash trees.

 If you are fascinated by the banded ash borer, then you may want to continue reading our other amazing facts about them. If you want to learn more about different animals, you can read about the milkweed assassin bug and salp.

Banded Ash Borer Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a banded ash borer?

The banded ash borer (Neoclytus caprea), also known as long horned beetles, is a type of beetle.

What class of animal does a banded ash borer belong to?

The banded ash borer belongs to the Coleoptera class of animals.

How many banded ash borers are there in the world?

The exact population of banded ash borers is not yet known. They can be found in large numbers across the regions of eastern Canada and the United States where they feed on dead and decaying plants.

Where does a banded ash borer live?

These banded ash borers, which are different from a wasp, can be found across the eastern regions of Canada as well as the whole of the United States.

What is a banded ash borer's habitat?

The banded ash borer typically inhabits various species of plants like elm, hickory, mesquite, and ash. They can occasionally be found on the white oak tree.

Who do banded ash borers live with?

The banded ash borer can usually be found together on different trees. They are almost active throughout the majority time of the year.

How long does a banded ash borer live?

Found in the regions of North America, the exact life span of these beetles is not yet known. However, like other insects, they too go through four different life cycles which are egg, larva, pupil, and adult.

How do they reproduce?

Eggs are generally laid during the time of early spring on the bark of trees or firewood. The larvae also known as roundheaded borers initially feed with their powerful jaws on the bark and the sapwood of the tree throughout the whole summer.

Following this, the larvae finally develop into pupils during the time of fall, and finally, adults emerge in the upcoming spring, completing the four life cycles. If the females lay the eggs on the firewood, it might take almost two years to finish their life cycle.

What is their conservation status?

 The conservation status of this species of beetles is Not Evaluated. They emerge in large numbers in their distribution range.

Banded Ash Borer Fun Facts

What does a banded ash borer look like?

Native to the regions of North America, long horned beetles derive their unique name from the long antennae that they possess. Their bodies are dark brown to black in color and are covered with four yellow colored ring like structures.

Out of the four, the first two are placed in such a way that they form a loop or a circle. The underside of their bodies is also black in color, covered with yellow rings. These adult beetles share their physical characteristics with that of a wasp.

They are beautiful, if not cute, because of the unique coloration of their bodies, just like a green scarab beetle. However, this insect, in general, is not considered to be a typical pet that one wishes to keep in their household.

How do they communicate?

The exact communication process used by the banded ash borer is not yet known. However, beetles in general typically communicate with each other with the help of chemicals. They do not have very strong eyesight and rely heavily on vibration and scents to transmit messages.

How big is a banded ash borer?

The banded ash borer ranges from 0.5-1 in (1.3-2.5 cm) in length. They are way smaller than the eastern Hercules beetle.

How fast can a banded ash borer fly?

The exact speed of banded ash borers is not yet known. Beetles are considered to be very fast insects and can achieve a speed of 3.4 mph (5.5 kph).

How much does a banded ash borer weigh?

The weight of this banded ash borer is still unknown.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no sex specific name for this species of beetle or any other species of beetles. A male is called a male banded ash borer and a female is called a female banded ash borer.

What would you call a baby banded ash borer?

The baby banded ash borer is usually called grubs.

What do they eat?

Banded ash borers rely heavily on dead and decaying trees for their daily source of nutrition. During the larval stage, when they are called roundheaded borers, they feed on the sapwood of ash and hickory trees. They use their mighty jaws to drill through the wood and consume nutritious food to help their development.

Are they poisonous?

No, banded ash borers are not harmful at all, just like the soldier beetle. They are not poisonous and generally do not bite humans.

Occasionally they can be found in the firewood of your home, where they mate and lay their eggs. They do not destroy furniture or woodwork, unlike the Emerald ash borer who is known to attack ash trees.

Would they make a good pet?

No, the banded ash borer does not make a good pet at all. A beetle is not the ideal pet to be kept in your home.

Unlike the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), the banded ash borer does not attack healthy ash trees or furniture and instead can be found in decaying or dead trees. Sometimes they can be found in large numbers at your home. The most effective way to get rid of them or to treat them is through household insecticides.

Did you know...

Banded ash borers are not harmful or bad in any way. They do not attack healthy trees unlike the emerald ash borer, but target dead or decaying ash trees instead.

However, having a large group of this beetle in your home can be troublesome. Using chemicals containing chlorpyrifos or lindane is one of the most effective ways of getting rid of them. Since they only target dead trees, maintaining the health of trees with proper watering and fertilization at your home is another way of keeping them under control.

North America is the endemic ground for banded ash borers where they can be found on ash trees, among many other trees.

Do banded ash borers bite?

No, banded ash borers do not bite or sting. They do not emerge at all harmful, unlike the emerald ash borer, or poisonous and therefore are not a threat to human beings.

How many eggs do banded ash borers lay?

Eggs are laid by the female adults during the time of spring on the bark of trees or firewood. The larvae feed on the sapwood of the plant using their mighty jaws to drill through the bark.

Following this, it reaches its pupal stage during the time of fall, and finally, adults emerge in the upcoming spring.

The time required to complete different stages depends on the place where the female adults lay their eggs. If they lay the eggs on the firewood, it might take almost two years to complete their life cycle.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our flatworms facts and stink bug facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable parts of a beetle coloring pages.

Second image by Beatriz Moisset