Summer must be coming to an end. I say that not because the kids are going back to school or the tomatoes are (finally) starting to turn red, but because today I got my first call of the year about a strange and striking looking insect.
This is a banded alder borer. It is a native wood boring insect, but it is not considered a forest pest because it generally infests dead or downed wood (people often find them on their firewood piles). This insect is often confused with the Asian Longhorn Beetle, which is one of the nation’s most un-wanted invasive pests. If you find a large, black and white insect with long antennae, chances are it’s the banded alder borer (the good guy), but to be sure, look for a white head with a large black dot on it. See the photo above.
I am not sure about the banded alder borer’s life history, but I think the adults must be most active in August and September because that’s when the calls and emails start to come in.
I recently found a specimean in a downed alder in the fraser valley of British Columbia. I work here in the natural areas of our Urban Forestry dept. Ironically, they are highly valued by collectors, and some seem to be willing to pay for such. My kids named him Mr. squeak for the sound of tennis shoes on wood that they make when communicating. Regardless, they are beautiful, and was released unharmed back into his domain. Long live the banded alder borer.