# Yellow & Black Bugs: What is it??



## NordicSplitter (May 11, 2013)

A little chilly here today so I fired up the stove. Brought in some wood and within 10 minutes found 2 yellow and black bugs crawling around. Looked like a yellow jacket but it crawled. Anyone know what these are and should I be worried? Thanks guys..


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## fishingpol (May 11, 2013)

Locust borer?


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## Locust Post (May 11, 2013)

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/locust-borers.109477/
Here is a link to a post from about a week ago.....do they look like that ?


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## Danno77 (May 11, 2013)

Active in spring = hickory borer, active in fall= locust borer, learned that real soon after posting my original thread. If it looks like that bug posted above, I'd have my $$ on hickory borer.


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## NordicSplitter (May 11, 2013)

fishingpol said:


> Locust borer?


We have a winner,,,,


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## NordicSplitter (May 11, 2013)

NordicSplitter said:


> We have a winner,,,,


The locust borer, _Megacyllene robiniae_ (Forst.), is a native insect. Its original range probably coincided with that of its host tree, the black locust, which once grew only along the Allegheny Mountains from Pennsylvania to Georgia and in the Ozark Mountain region.
Black locust grows readily on poor sites and is used extensively in land-reclamation plantings. Its widespread use to reclaim land damaged by farming and strip mining, its use as a shade tree, and its use in reforestation have dispersed the borer with its host tree over most of the United States. The borer is now found from eastern Canada south to the Gulf States and west to Washington, Colorado, and Arizona.
The borer attacks only black locust (_Robinia pseudoacacia_ L.) and its cultivars (horticulturally derived varieties in the genus _Robinia_); the honey locust (_Gleditsia triacanthos_ L.) is not affected.
Damage and Signs of Infestation
Borer larvae tunnel into a tree's trunk and branches, weakening the tree and making it susceptible to wind breakage (fig. 1). The damage from borer tunneling and wind breakage often results in deformed trees or clumps of sprout growth.
The most obvious signs of severe borer attack in a stand of black locust are the many dead and broken limbs and the knotty swellings on the trunks (fig. 2).



*Figure 1* - _Top breakage resulting from locust borer damage._



*Figure 2* - _Locust borer damage. Left: external indications are swellings and holes; middle: internal damage; right: undamaged trunk._
Depending on the season, symptoms of borer attack vary. In the early spring, at about the time of bud swell, wet spots appear on the bark. These wet spots are the result of young larvae tunneling in the inner bark. In late spring or early summer, white-colored wood dust can be seen on the bark; the dust is pushed out of holes in the bark by the developing larvae, which are boring into the sapwood. By late summer, the larvae burrow into the heartwood, and the boring dust on the bark appears yellow. If the tree is heavily infested, the wood dust may accumulate in a ring around the tree's base.
Tree and Stand Susceptibility
The degree of damage varies in different locations according to the vigor of the trees and the influence of environmental factors such as light, temperature, drought, grazing, and pruning. The healthier the tree the lower the incidence of borer damage.
In locust stands 10 or more years old, fast-growing dominant trees are usually able to withstand attack, but slower growing overtopped trees are badly damaged or killed. Older trees also have thicker bark, and therefore, are often less damaged. However, during severe epidemics, the branches and tops of older trees frequently become infested. Sometimes even dominant large trees are killed by epidemic borer populations (fig. 3).



*Figure 3* - _Older stand killed back to main trunks._
Light and temperature influence attack by their effects on egg-laying behavior. When the air is warmer than 75° F (24° C), the female locust borers prefer to lay eggs on the shady part of the tree trunk; below 70° F (21° C), they prefer trunks receiving full sunlight. Thus, when the weather is cool during the egg-laying season, the beetles lay fewer eggs in densely shaded locust stands. Consequently, the trees in these stands are subjected to fewer attacks.
Black locust trees are shallow rooted but grow readily on poor sites. Trees growing on such sites are subject to serious damage during periods of prolonged drought. Drought-weakened trees are especially susceptible to borer attack.
Grazing of livestock also contributes to borer damage in black locust. In addition to weakening the tree by feeding on young succulent growth and bark, cattle reduce site quality and tree vigor by compacting the soil.
Pruning creates favorable conditions for egg laying: callus tissue around pruning wounds is ideal for oviposition.
Individual trees in infested stands may show little or no sign of borer attack. This suggests possible genetic resistance to locust borers. However, studies using genetically identical cuttings of such trees planted in different locations have shown that good growing conditions are more important than genetic resistance in reducing susceptibility to borer damage.
Description
The adult locust borer is a slender, "long-horned" beetle, about three-quarters of an inch (1.9 cm) long, with reddish legs and black antennae. Bright yellow bands encircle its jet-black body. A W-shaped band extends across the elytra, or wing covers. Males and females are similar in appearance.
Mature larvae are white, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long and one-quarter of an inch (0.6 cm) in diameter (fig. 4). Newly formed pupae are creamy white and about three-quarters of an inch (1.9 cm) long. Both the larval and pupal stages are spent within the tree and are not readily seen.



*Figure 4* - _Left: mature larva; middle: pupa; right: adult._


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## Danno77 (May 11, 2013)

Did ya read that? Would be larvae this time of year. Look up hickory borer.


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## NordicSplitter (May 11, 2013)

Danno77 said:


> Did ya read that? Would be larvae this time of year. Look up hickory borer.


Yeah, I know...Weird...The thing is I have Black Locust cut & split in the yard...


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## pyroholic (May 11, 2013)

I have those too suddenly.  Brought a bunch of HONEY Locust home two weeks back.  Also brought home some 2 year cut rounds of hickory.  Would hickory borer still be in old rounds?  Any danger to the stacks?


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## fireview2788 (May 11, 2013)

Had them in all of my hickory too.  Gave us a scare at first thinking they were yellow jackets then they provided the cat with something to chase.


fv


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## Backwoods Savage (May 12, 2013)

This why when we bring wood into the house, it goes into the stove and not sitting around.


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