Frequently Asked Questions About Insects - Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University

Frequently Asked Questions

Topic:	Beetles, ironclad
Question:	I live in Austin, Texas. Recently, the cottonwood trees in my back yard have been attracting what look like ironclad beetles, as close as I can tell from photos I found on the Web. The bugs in my yard are 1" to 2" long, black with yellow markings and long antennae. Are these ironclad beetles? Are they beneficial? If not, how can I eradicate them?
Answer:	The cottonwood location, size, and the antennae length indicate they are probably cottonwood borers rather than ironclad beetles. Cottonwood borers have immatures that bore into cottonwood and willow trees. Generally, we do not worry about them because these trees are hardy, and borer control is difficult once the grubs are in the wood. For more information on managing wood borers (we do not consider eradication realistic), see the first link below. The second link below to our Field Guide to Common Texas Insects might also help.
Related Link:	http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/b-5086.html
Related Link:	http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg177.html
Image Link: **
Response by:	John A. Jackman, Ph.D.
Title:	Professor and Extension Specialist
** Most of the Related Links above also contain images.