You were doing yard work on a Saturday morning when you noticed a bug unlike any you had ever seen before. What was remarkable was the color. Unlike the typical black or brown coloration that allows insects to blend into their surroundings, this creature was a striking white with black splotches. Your immediate reaction was probably a mix of curiosity and fear. What is this strange bug? Do I need to be worried that it could bite? Does it pose any danger to my plants, pets or family?
Most likely, you’ve had an encounter with an ironclad beetle.
The good news is that you don’t have to worry about the impact this insect has on your yard or household. The strange part? Very little is known about this visually distinct insect.
In this post, we’ll explore everything scientists do know about this bug and other similar insects you may run across in your yard.
What’s That Black And White Beetle In Texas?
Measuring just 5/8 to 1 3/16 inches in length, the adult ironclad beetle gets its name from its extremely hard and durable exoskeleton that’s covered in off-white and black colored spots. It’s aptly named, since this armor-like outer covering is so hard that many predators find it hard to penetrate. This adaptation makes sense, as the insect’s distinctive and bright color would otherwise attract the attention of any animals that might decide the beetle would be a tasty snack. If you do think you have killed one, chances are you’ve been fooled, since the ironclad beetle is known to play dead when they are disturbed. This characteristic has earned the insect the common name blue death-feigning beetle.
Though the ironclad beetle is known to be a tough bug to kill, they aren’t insects to be fearful of, as they typically don’t attack or bite humans. Instead, they feed on mostly fresh and rotting plant materials. Scientists have discovered larval and pupal stage ironclad beetles on the dead wood of Texas pecan trees, as well as in other parts of the country. This finding has led researchers to conclude that the dead wood of pecan trees may serve as the developmental site for this species. Adults ironclad beetles have been found on the trunks of an oak tree; it’s believed that the adult ironclad beetle typically feeds on lichens growing on these species of tree trunks. While its thought that their main food source is found on a tree trunk, this beetle has also been found clinging to the outer walls of homes in wooded areas. One important factor to note, though, is that although the beetle is often found near decaying plant matter, is not known to damage live plants.
Although every ironclad beetle has the same hard shell, the pattern on each isn’t always the same. Some beetles in this species have no white spots at all and are instead all black. Some varieties, such as the desert ironclad beetle (Absolus verrucosus) and the frighteningly-named diabolical ironclad beetle (Phloeodes diabolicus) can be found in west and southwestern states, as well as Mexico. Another unique fact about this beetle is that they do not have hind wings and their front wings, or elytra, are fused together. As a result, the ironclad beetle doesn’t fly from place to place, but instead crawls. So many other types of beetles, this black and white beetle is very slow moving.
There are only about 20 species that belong to this family of beetles. In Texas specifically, ironclad beetles are found in the east-central regions of the state. In these regions, researchers have found that these bugs are only active during certain times of the year. Adult ironclad beetles are spotted in the late spring and remain active into the early months of fall. Typically, though, the majority of the species will begin to appear in the heart of the summer months.
The beetle starts out as an egg and then progresses through the pupae, larvae and adult stages. Despite the fact that we know the four different stages of the beetle, there isn’t much specific information or knowledge about the creature’s biology, lifespan or habits.
Is The Ironclad One Of The Strongest Insects?
When we talk about strong insects, most of us immediately think of ants. Some species have been seen dragging dead baby birds which scientists estimate are around 1,000 times their body weight. How does an ironclad beetle stack up?
Although the ironclad beetle definitely lives up to its name, donning the hardest exoskeleton of any other arthropod, it’s strength isn’t in this carrying capacity. As we’ve already mentioned, unlike most insects that can be killed by a human’s foot quite easily, the ironclad beetle is almost impossible to kill or destroy simply by stepping on it or trying to squash it with your weight. In order to fully puncture the shell of an ironclad beetle, many have resulted to using a drill, as anything less aggressive or powerful simply won’t work.
Despite this impressive feat, the ironclad is just one of many insects with amazing superpowers. The Darwin’s bark spider’s webs are 25 times stronger than steel. The horned dung beetle can pull items that represent more than 1,000 times its own body weight. The adult tarantula hawk paralyzes its prey (an unsuspecting tarantula) and lays eggs so that its small-but-mighty larvae can eat the much-larger spider alive. Many homeowners pondering the jaw strength of pests ask the question: can termites eat concrete? While the answer is no, the damage these insects can do to your home’s foundation is significant.
Other Pecan Tree Bugs
While you may be interested to learn more about the ironclad beetle, once you discover that this insect will pose no danger to your trees, your initial concerns will face. This type of beetle is, of course, not the only bug you may see on pecan trees. The black pecan aphid and yellow aphid can damage pecan leaves by removing sap. You can usually detect signs of damage if a tree’s leaves develop bright yellow spots. Tiny mites can also harm the leaves of your pecans by attacking the underside and removing cells. Mite damage usually manifests in brown spots on leaves. Several varieties of borers and twig girdlers damage pecan trunks and limbs, while stink bugs can feed upon developing kernels, resulting in a condition called black pit.
Surprisingly, fire ants can impact pecan tree production because they protect aphids from beneficial insects that prey on this pecan pest. Fire ant mounds can also interfere with harvesting pecans because mowing equipment can get damaged by dirt that becomes lodged in parts when mowers go over larger mounds. Harvesting blades can also be dulled when going over fire ant hills.
While a number of insects are considered pecan tree pests, the ironclad beetle has no documented impact on these plants and none of the more common pecan tree bugs resemble this type of beetle.
More Ironclad Beetle Facts And Questions
Though this species is commonly referred to as the ironclad beetle, its scientific name is Zopherus nodulosus haldemani Horn and it belongs to the order Coleoptera. Other species of the genus Zopherus—there are 19 other known species belonging to this group—are typically found in western Texas. The ironclad beetle, however, belongs to the Zopheridae family within the genus and is closely related to the Tenebrionidae family.
Beetles make up a large portion of the animal kingdom. The Coleoptera order specifically, which the ironclad beetle belongs to, is represented in 25,000 different known examples throughout North America; furthermore, it is represented in upwards of 350,000 species worldwide. This order includes ladybugs, black vine weevils and even the massive rhinoceros beetle. With such a large representation, the Coleoptera order is one of the largest orders of the animal kingdom. Like the ironclad beetle, all beetles in this species are unique, having different shapes and colors, lifestyles and diet and habitat preferences.
This insect remains a mystery for many researchers. This type of beetle plays dead so well that in Mexico, jewelers decorate their skeletons and sell them as “living bling.” No one is really sure what the ironclad beetle feeds on, what animals or insects prey on it, its life cycle or many other details. In a time where so much is known about insect species, the ironclad beetle is known to stump many individuals looking to know more.
ABC Is Your Resource On All Crawling Insects
Most homeowners are familiar with the more common insects they see on a regular basis: ants, bees, mosquitoes, cockroaches, spiders and even the occasional scorpion, depending on where in the country you live. It can be unsettling to see an insect you aren’t familiar with in your yard or even your home, especially if you aren’t sure if the creature bites or could damage your plants. The pest control team at ABC Home & Commercial Services includes trained entomologists who can help identify any bugs you might see and help you understand what impact they can have—good or bad. Having this information can give you peace of mind and help you protect your family and pets from any potential harm.
