Woodcutter beetle. Description, features, types and habitat of the woodcutter beetle

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The woodcutter beetle is a prominent representative of the Coleoptera order, famous for its huge mustache. Due to its external features, it is often also called barbel. This insect mainly lives in tropical countries, but is represented on almost all continents. It has more than twenty-five thousand varieties. And this is not the final figure. Every year, scientists discover more and more new species of longhorned beetles.

Origin of the species and description

Photo: Lumberjack Beetle

Lumberjacks are a very large family of beetles. They belong to the order Coleoptera and occupy fifth place in the number of species. As already noted, today scientists count more than twenty-five thousand varieties. The beetles got their name “woodcutter” due to their special “love” for wood. They not only eat wood, but also build their homes in it.

Interesting fact: The Titan Lumberjack is recognized as the largest beetle in the world. The length of its body can reach twenty-two centimeters. However, such a huge insect cannot be found in museums. The individuals presented for public viewing are no more than seventeen centimeters long.

Due to the fact that the wood is consumed by these beetles as food, they are considered pests. These insects cause enormous damage to human property, various buildings, and the environment. This multifaceted creature is distributed almost throughout the globe. The only exceptions are very cold areas of planet Earth. The largest populations are found in tropical regions.

A unique feature of these animals is their mustache. They are segmented, most often exceeding the length of the body itself by several times. Also a characteristic feature are the wings. However, not all members of the family can use them. Only a few species are endowed with the ability to fly. Woodcutter beetles, which are large in size, often look very clumsy when flying.

Notes

1. Kryzhanovsky O. L., Mamaev B. M. Order Coleoptera, or Beetles (Coleoptera) // Animal Life. Volume 3. Arthropods: trilobites, chelicerates, trachea-breathers. Onychophora / ed. M. S. Gilyarova, F. N. Pravdina, ch. ed. V. E. Sokolov. — 2nd ed. - M.: Education, 1984. - P. 282. - 463 p.
2. Catalog of Life: [https://www.catalogueoflife.org/col/browse/tree/id/7ca3293359de6c96012c60d54f706f0f Genus Titanus
   ] Retrieved July 06, 2016.
3. ↑ Yukio Yaznda & Shuji Okejima “Kafer der Welt”, 1990, 126 pages, 700 col illus
4. Vanessa Hequet. Longicornes de Guyane. Cayenne, 1996
5. Charles Leonard Hogue: Latin American Insects and Entomology. University of California Press, 1993 ISBN 0-520-07849-7 s. 280
6. Mares J., Lapacek V. Nejkrasnejsi brouci tropu. Praha, 1980. 108 p.
7. [https://ebay.com/ eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices]
8. [https://www.entomoservice.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Titanus+giganteus+&x=10&y=10 entomoservice.com]

Appearance and features

Photo: Insect woodcutter beetle

Most representatives of lumberjacks have average body dimensions. Only a small number belong to the group of giants - these are titanium and bigtooth. Their average length is 167 millimeters. Such animals live mainly in Young America. Beetles from Fiji are smaller in size. Their length can reach fifteen centimeters. The carpenter's barbel (up to 6 centimeters) is a giant among European species, the relict barbel (up to 11 centimeters) is a large representative of the order living in Russia.

Video: Lumberjack Beetle

A significant part of the insect's length is occupied by the whiskers. Sometimes they exceed the body length by four to five times. The body of the woodcutter beetle is slender, slightly elongated. There may be various spots and stripes on it.

The colors come in a variety of colors:

• gray-blue;
• black-brown;
• greenish;
• white;
• mother-of-pearl;
• pale yellow.

Interesting fact: Among the adult woodcutter beetles there are atypical species. One of them is the Parandra barbel. It has small dimensions and is considered the most primitive. The body of such an insect is flat and very wide. For this reason, it is often confused with stag.

Lumberjacks can make various sounds. The sound is produced by the friction of the rib on the surface of the mesothorax. The sound is creaking, not very pleasant. Beetles use it as protection. The sound is made in the event of an enemy attack; it is of a frightening nature.

Where does the woodcutter beetle live?

Photo: Relic woodcutter beetle

The longhorned beetle can thrive almost anywhere there is wood. The only exception is regions with too low temperatures. The favorite tree species of such insects are conifers. However, they also live in other trees, shrubs and even herbaceous plants. Sometimes insects choose country houses and dachas to live. They can feed on wooden furniture and building elements, which causes great harm.

The largest representative of the family, the titanium beetle lives in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela. They settle in the Amazon River basin. Residents of these countries sometimes independently attract such insects to their homes, then sell them for huge sums. The demand for titan beetles is very high among collectors.

In European countries, Iran, Turkey, Western Asia, the Caucasus and the Urals, woodcutter beetles live in large populations. They also live in Moscow. Animals choose deciduous, mixed forests to live. They settle in dead trees. In general, about five hundred species of longhorned beetles live in Russia. Other species of the woodcutter beetle are present on almost all continents. They live in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova.

What does the woodcutter beetle eat?

Photo: Big woodcutter beetle

The main diet of woodcutter beetles consists of leaves, pollen, and needles. Some members of the genus prefer to eat only juice. The bark on young branches becomes food less often. Middle-aged individuals feed on it. The bark of young twigs is a “diet” food. It helps the germ cells mature.

The black house woodcutter brings great harm to humanity. It inhabits building materials, furniture, and wooden elements of residential and commercial buildings. Such beetles not only make cracks for themselves to live there, but also lay larvae in them. There have been cases in the world when barbel larvae almost completely destroyed wooden houses in entire neighborhoods.

The larvae's diet consists mainly of dead wood. This is due to the fact that a living tree has too little protein. Protein is necessary for larvae to grow and develop. In rotting trees, where fungi have developed, there is much more of this necessary protein.

Interesting fact: There are adult woodcutter beetles in the world that do not eat food at all.

An example of insects that can survive without food is the titan beetle. It lives off the nutrients that it was able to accumulate while still in the larval stage. Beetles tolerate a period of starvation absolutely normally. And the entire adult period does not last long - only a couple of weeks.

Name

The family name Cerambycidae is a Latin neologism that did not exist in classical Latin, but was created in the time of Carl Linnaeus. It is formed by the comparison of two words: the ancient Greek ceros - “horn” and the Latin bis - “two”, which means “two-horned”. This name reflects the characteristics of the antennae of longhorned beetles - the length and their forward direction during life, associated with horns. In many Western and Central European languages, the name barbel is associated specifically with horns: English. Longhorn beetle, fr. Longicornes, Spanish Escarabajos longicornios, German. Bockkafer, Polish. Kózkowate and the like. At the same time, two distinct names were established in southern and eastern European languages. The first associates antennas with mustaches: Russian. mustache, Ukrainian vusachi, white vusachis and the like. The second is with feeding on wood at the larval stage: Rus. woodcutters, white Dryvaseki, Bulgarian Seckovci, Czech. Tesaříkovití, etc.

Musk barbel

In the Ukrainian language, in addition to the generally accepted and basic name “usachi”, the following are also known: skripuni, skripunuvati, dovgorozhtsi, kovzani and cossacks. The names “skripuni” and “skripunuvati” are associated with behavioral features - suddenly seized imago barbels make a creaking sound, rubbing the pronotum against the mesonotum; the name “Dovgorozhtsi” indicates the similarity of the antennae with horns; “Kovzani” (Russian “skates”) - for the similarity of the antennas with the skates (runners) of a sled; “Cossacks” - for the similarity of the antennae with the long mustaches of the Cossacks.

Features of character and lifestyle

Photo: Lumberjack Beetle Red Book

Lifestyle and rhythm of life depend on a number of factors:

• location;
• climate, weather conditions in the region;
• food quality;
• gender

Adult beetles living in the southern regions begin to be active in mid-spring. The woodcutter beetle flies in Central Asian territory only in early autumn. Rare members of the family lead a diurnal lifestyle, feeding on flowers. Other species prefer to fly, breed and feed in the dark.

Most adult longhorned beetles spend their time hidden during the day. There they rest and eat. Such insects fly extremely rarely. This is due to the large dimensions of the body. It is difficult for such bugs to take off and land softly. Only some of the flying species can carry out long flights. At the same time, in some species females fly more, in others - males.

The woodcutter beetle is an insect with a terrifying appearance. However, it does virtually no physical damage to humans. The barbel does not bite unnecessarily and has a calm character. History knows only a tiny number of such incidents. And the bite itself is not dangerous to humans. It heals quickly.

Behavior

The activity of these insects is determined by weather conditions. As a rule, in southern countries, flight begins in the spring. The larger and larger a titan woodcutter, the more difficult it is for him to move in the air. Therefore, flying is definitely not an easy task for them. Throughout the day, titan lumberjacks hide in hollow trees or rotten logs.

Activity occurs at night. The difficulty in finding imago titan lumberjacks lies in the extremely short life of these representatives. An adult lives no more than 5 weeks. Spikes and mandibles can only be used for self-defense. The beetle itself does not pose a great danger to humans.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: Lumberjack Beetle

Female lumberjacks lay eggs in the spring. For breeding, they very carefully select a secluded place. This is due to the fact that the place will serve not only as a “roof” over your head, but also as a source of food for the larvae. Most often, eggs are laid in large cracks in wood. Females prefer coniferous species: pine, cedar, spruce. Insects determine the type of tree by its subtle aroma.

Female longhorned beetles can lay varying numbers of eggs. Sometimes their numbers reach several hundred at a time. Two weeks after laying, larvae begin to appear. They are white in color and have an awkward appearance. Longhorn beetle larvae resemble worms and are highly voracious.

Interesting fact: The woodcutter beetle often interbreeds with other species. This leads to the formation of a large number of hybrids.

Woodcutter beetle larvae have strong, powerful jaws and high survival rates. They not only live in wood, but also actively make passages there to search for a new source of food. The appetite of the larvae is monstrous. In large concentrations, they are capable of completely destroying a wooden structure in a short period of time.

Woodcutter beetle larvae live for more than one year. There is a long period before reaching adulthood. For some it is one year, and for some species it is about two years. Adults live a tiny amount of time - no more than twenty-five days.

Natural enemies of woodcutter beetles

Photo: Lumberjack beetle

The most dangerous natural enemies of adult woodcutter beetles are woodpeckers. They are the ones who most often attack insects. They are also preyed upon by other bird species. Longhorn beetles often become victims of predatory insects. They are less often attacked by parasitic microorganisms. The latter kill animals slowly but surely.

The larvae live in secluded places, so they are less likely to become victims of natural enemies. They are preyed upon by wasps, parasitic microorganisms and other types of beetles.

Adult woodcutters do not suffer as much from predators and birds as from the hands of humans. Rare species of longhorned beetles, especially large individuals, are in particular danger. In most countries, they are hunted by collectors and exotic lovers. They catch them for their collections or for sale. In America, for example, you can get about a thousand dollars for a woodcutter beetle.

Population and species status

Photo: Woodcutter beetle from the Red Book

The woodcutter beetle has about twenty-five thousand species. For this reason, the family cannot be called endangered. The population of such insects in the main area of ​​residence is quite large and is not threatened. However, many species of longhorned beetles are rapidly declining. Some species are even listed in the Red Data Books of European countries.

The following factors influence the decline in the population of certain species of lumberjacks:

• massive deforestation of coniferous forests. Coniferous wood has become increasingly used during construction and furniture making. Uncontrolled logging leads to the destruction of the “homes” of woodcutters;
• catching beetles by collectors. This is due to the high cost of individuals on the market;
• destruction of insects by humans. The woodcutter beetle, especially its larvae, is a pest. Those individuals that settle in houses and dachas are periodically destroyed using special compounds.

How to fight

Preventive measures help prevent these pests from breeding in wood. First of all, the room where there are wooden products must be kept dry, because it is humidity that contributes to the spread of these insects.

It often happens that the boards from which furniture and buildings are made are already infected with the larvae of this beetle. Signs of its presence can be indicated by the presence of winding paths, as well as yellow and brownish flour - waste products of their vital activity.

Often you can even hear a crunch, and a brownish liquid with an unpleasant, pungent and sour odor is released from the wood. As a preventive measure, insecticidal agents used to treat wood are quite helpful.

But if it was not possible to prevent the danger in time, how to deal with the woodcutter beetle in this case? A solution of ordinary salt applied to the affected surface can help get rid of this parasite.

However, in cases where the wood is not in a shelter, but in an open space, this method may not be particularly effective, because the salt is easily washed off by rain. You can also try a composition of naphthalene, black carbolic acid and resin.

All these substances are taken in equal quantities, mixed and applied to a wooden surface.