# What kind of bug is this in my firewood?



## rich1220 (Jul 18, 2014)

Been lurking a few times and figured I join.  You guys are a great community.

I have these flying bugs that are burrowing in my firewood.  I literally hear them chomping away.  Any idea what they are.  They are pretty small and have red abdomens.  I'm worried that they are near my roof also where the wood is exposed under my roof shingles.  I don't want them in my house damaging the wood in my attic.  Thanks


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## Applesister (Jul 18, 2014)

Neobellamira delicata australis  lol....I typed, "black wood boring beetle with red abdomen" and this was one of a bazzilian choices that almost could be it. Common name Longhorned flower beetle. Its larvae stage is inside wood. Adults eat flowers, lay their eggs on wood, then burrow into the wood to emerge and start over.                                I didnt research it too deeply.


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## rich1220 (Jul 19, 2014)

Applesister said:


> Neobellamira delicata australis  lol....I typed, "black wood boring beetle with red abdomen" and this was one of a bazzilian choices that almost could be it. Common name Longhorned flower beetle. Its larvae stage is inside wood. Adults eat flowers, lay their eggs on wood, then burrow into the wood to emerge and start over.                                I didnt research it too deeply.




Thanks for the reply but that is not the bug.  It looks similar.  But my bug is completely black on the top and has a red abdomen.  The bug you showed has a black and red top


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## Brewmonster (Jul 19, 2014)

Hey, Rich, I wish I knew. I have 'em too.


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## Paulywalnut (Jul 19, 2014)

It's either a blister beetle or a old house borer. My guess. The red abdomen is throwing me off.


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## Brewmonster (Jul 19, 2014)

Paulywalnut said:


> It's either a blister beetle or a old house borer. My guess. The red abdomen is throwing me off.



Pictures and descriptions I see of these creatures do not match what I am seeing swarming around my wood piles. Mine look just like rich1220's pictures.


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## Paulywalnut (Jul 20, 2014)

Brewmonster said:


> Pictures and descriptions I see of these creatures do not match what I am seeing swarming around my wood piles. Mine look just like rich1220's pictures.


Yep. Mine was a guess without the red abdomen. Maybe a bluster beetle and a box elder bug got together It's a mystery.


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## rich1220 (Jul 22, 2014)

Brewmonster said:


> Pictures and descriptions I see of these creatures do not match what I am seeing swarming around my wood piles. Mine look just like rich1220's pictures.


 

yeah its crazy I've searched the internet far and wide and can't find it.


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## Brewmonster (Aug 4, 2014)

Hey, Rich, I think I may have ID'd these guys. I'm gonna say it's a Braconid wasp, probably of the genus Atanycolus. Try googling that and you'll get a ton of images that seem to match. Let me know if you agree. 
Here's the coolest part: they're not destroying our wood! Guess what they are doing? Parasitizing wood-boring larvae There's research going on to see if they can be weaponized for the war against the EAB.


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## rich1220 (Aug 4, 2014)

Brewmonster said:


> Hey, Rich, I think I may have ID'd these guys. I'm gonna say it's a Braconid wasp, probably of the genus Atanycolus. Try googling that and you'll get a ton of images that seem to match. Let me know if you agree.
> Here's the coolest part: they're not destroying our wood! Guess what they are doing? Parasitizing wood-boring larvae There's research going on to see if they can be weaponized for the war against the EAB.





Those are it! Thanks so much


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## 1kzwoman (Aug 4, 2014)

Wood wasp/ hornbill is my guess. Oops I type sloooow


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## Brewmonster (Aug 5, 2014)

I can hardly get over the awesomeness of this. We assumed they were "chomping" our wood because of the sawdust all around where they were active, right? Turns out they're going in there and killing the bugs that really are making the sawdust. Too cool.


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## tcassavaugh (Aug 5, 2014)

Brewmonster said:


> I can hardly get over the awesomeness of this. We assumed they were "chomping" our wood because of the sawdust all around where they were active, right? Turns out they're going in there and killing the bugs that really are making the sawdust. Too cool.


whoda thunk it.....learn something new every day in this forum


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## Shawn Curry (Aug 5, 2014)

That's good news indeed.  We don't have the EAB here yet, but it's nearby.  I have a lot of nice white ash on my property that I'm not quite ready to burn yet.  I'm hoping that the maturity of my woods and diversity of hungry woodland critters it contains can help with the battle.


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## Joey (Aug 6, 2014)

tcassavaugh said:


> whoda thunk it.....learn something new every day in this forum



+1


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