Fun Pine Sawyer Beetle Facts For Kids

Monochamus is the genus comprising of longhorn beetles from around the world. They are referred to as sawyer beetles as the larvae bore into decaying conifers. There are two species of pine sawyers. Monochamus scutellatus, often known as the white-spotted sawyer or spruce bug, is a beetle frequently found in the state of Colorado, North America. These Colorado beetles are seen trying to colonize in trees that are burnt (in a recent fire) or otherwise destroyed.

They are also found common in United States, Canada, and north to Alaska and are seen to feed in white pines, black spruce, and red spruce trees. Monochamus mutator, also referred to as the spotted pine sawyer, is frequently found in the United States and Canada. This beetle was discovered by John Lawrence LeConte in 1850. Young larvae are found feeding beneath the bark and the larvae twist its tunnel toward the surface before pupating, where it pupates behind a chip plug. There is only one generation per year in the northern section of its range, but in the southern section, there are two.

Want to know more about pine sawyers, see its photos, and read more interesting facts then read on! Do not forget to check out more articles like the Hercules beetle and the click beetle.

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What type of animal is a pine sawyer beetle?

The pine sawyer beetle is a type of longhorn beetle. They are commonly referred to as sawyer beetles or sawyers.

What class of animal does a pine sawyer beetle belong to?

Pine sawyers belong to the class of insects. The white-spotted sawyer beetle and potted pine sawyers (Northeastern pine sawyers) are the two species of pine sawyers.

How many pine sawyer beetles are there in the world?

Due to a lack of research, there is no solid data on the population of the species of pine sawyer beetles. however, both the species of pine sawyers are likely to be found in areas with pines and other host plants throughout the state of Colorado.

Where does a pine sawyer beetle live?

Pine sawyer beetles are found throughout North America in the woodlands. They live in dead or decaying coniferous tree wood, particularly white-spotted sawyer beetle is seen in the bark of white pine trees, balsam fir, and species of spruce.

What is a pine sawyer beetle's habitat?

The spotted pine sawyers prefer ponderosa pine trees and Douglas-fir, and the white-spotted sawyer beetle grows in a wide range of habitats, they are mostly found in higher elevations where it grows on spruces and true firs to the foothills and the front range where pines are typical hosts. The adult and larvae of pine sawyers are found to be feeding in freshly cut, felled, stressed, and dying trees. It shares a habitat with birds like the gray catbird, who regularly prey on them.

Who does the pine sawyer beetle live with?

A pine sawyer is a saproxylic insect, which means it depends on decaying wood for at least part of its life cycle. These beetles are seen in packs when they are trying to colonize new habitat.

How long does a pine sawyer beetle live?

This long-horned beetle mostly lives for about two years but in different areas and specific habitats the life span is increased up to four years. This is similar to the Christmas beetle, which also has an average life span of two years.

How do they reproduce?

The starting phase is always initiated by the female as the male remains still with its antennae outstretched, while the female continues to move energetically near the male. Both sexes mate with different partners on a regular basis, and females have been observed to lay between 15 and 20 eggs each lifespan on average. These eggs are laid on the inner bark of the host logs and the larvae emerge out and make their way through the phloem and into the cambium. The larvae then establish a pupal cell at the outer end of the tunnel near the surface of the tree after the final stage of larval development. The adult emerges from the pupa in the summer by eating a hole through the remaining wood and bark.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of these North Carolina pine sawyers is common and this species is classified as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List.

What does the pine sawyer beetle look like?

Whitespotted sawyers are about 1-1.5 in (2.5-3.8 cm) in length and the body color ranges from dark grey to black, with a large white patch in the center of the body near the wing coverings. There could be more white patches or the wing covering could be largely devoid of other patterns. The extension that emerges from the head known as antennae is one of the distinguishing features of pine sawyers. The antennae of adult male pine sawyers can reach a length of one to three times their body length whereas the antennae in females are just slightly longer than their body length.

How cute are they?

Adult pine sawyers have a black body with a very long extension of antennae that emerges from the head which makes them one of the most adorable beetles.

How do they communicate?

Most of the beetles communicate with the help of chemical cues like several Monochamus species like the pine sawyers have been found to utilize bark beetle pheromones as kairomones to swiftly and efficiently discover suitable host habitats, allowing them to concentrate time and energy on other activities.

How big is a pine sawyer beetle?

The adults of the Northeastern pine sawyers have a body length of nearly 2 inches (5.08 cm), with each antenna measuring another two inches and the white-spotted sawyer adults have a body length of one to one and a quarter inches, which is significantly smaller than the almost six-inch-long rhinoceros beetle.

How fast can a pine sawyer beetle move?

The adults of pine sawyers are very large and can fly fast but they are clumsy fliers due to the large antenna extension that emerges on their head. The Hercules beetle and other creatures of the family also suffer from similar issues due to their 'horns'.

How much does a pine sawyer beetle weigh?

There is no concrete data available about the weight of this insect due to its small size and minuscule weight. However, with extensive research, we expect new data to emerge.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no particular name for the males and females of pine sawyers (Monochamus beetles).

What would you call a baby pine sawyer beetle?

There is no specific name given to the baby of this long-horned insect. However, pine sawyer beetle larvae are called 'sawyers' because they frequently create loud noises when feeding.

What do they eat?

In the summer the adults, after emerging from the pupa, prefer to feed on needles and tender twig bark of various living conifers, infest the new tree with nematodes from the tree from where the beetle emerged. The young larvae like to feed beneath the bark of the wood and this borer prefers to attack the bark of logs that have been left in the forest unattended over the summer.

Are they poisonous?

These long-horned beetles bore into the wood's bark because of which they have very strong jaws but they do not bite and the pine sawyer beetle bite is not poisonous. These beetles only attack the dead and dying trees and do not pose a real threat to the forest.

Would they make a good pet?

No, the pine sawyers would not make a good pet as they only live under the bark and logs of dead and dying coniferous trees of pines and balsam fir.

Did you know...

The white-spotted sawyer beetle contributes to forest ecology and may have an impact on logging operations. Wood-boring insects can deteriorate the appearance of wood by boring holes in the bark, as well as serve as indirect carriers for fungus and nematodes that can cause structural damage. The presence of this insect has been recently found to aid nutrient cycling by influencing microbial activity, nitrogen availability, and the germination of post-fire colonizing flora.

How to get rid of the pine sawyer beetle?

Sawyer beetles are of little concern when populations are at endemic levels, as they play a natural role in forest recycling. When populations are large, however, certain management measures should be used. The burning of trees is the best solution while chipping and mulching will also work. Borer insecticides applied to tree leaders or imidacloprid applied to the soil can be effective in killing adults attempting to lay eggs in the early summer.

How to save trees from pine sawyer beetle?

Pine beetles, in general, avoid healthy trees. If their number grows too large, they may attack healthy wood as well. Destroy any fallen, stressed, or dead tree especially pines on your property. All the infested wood from the trees should be removed to stop the spread of pine beetle to other adjacent trees. Recently, It has been found that tachinids and ichneumonids can control the population of these insects.

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 blister beetle facts and yellow jacket wasp facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our free printable pine sawyer beetle coloring pages.