When the warm spring sun starts to shine in the woods near me, my eyes begin to hunt for the odd, erratic leaf-blowing motion of Mourning Cloak, Comma and Tortoiseshell butterflies. Looking for such small whimsical motions makes me notice other spring insects, too, like the first Greater Bee Flies and 6-Spotted Tiger Beetles, and the re-emerging adult Box Elder Bugs. This spring on the last day of April, though, the flying insect I saw was pure red and quite large so I stopped to see where it landed.

What Red Beetle Has Black Antenna, Red Legs and Faint Dark Lines Down Its Back?

The Insect I saw was about one inch or 2.5 cm long. I had a funny big head that was more of a brown red than its wing covers. The wing covers on its back were shiny fire engine red with some dark streaks down the length. The antennae were black with little bumps all along them. The fat top parts of the legs were also red, although the skinny “calves” of the legs were black.

The one that flew by me was bigger than a 6-Spotted Tiger Beetle and much, much larger than the alien Red Lily Beetles that kill most of the leaves and buds on my ornamental garden lilies each summer. (If you are finding a pure red insect in your garden, you may want to search the internet for photos of the Red Lily Beetle as it is a very common garden menace.)

The shape, though, reminded me of Tiger Beetles, but a quick search of the internet showed it isn’t. It’s a Red Flat Bark Beetle. (Not quite as much fun to see as a Red-shouldered False Blister Beetle, but close.)

That seemed like a likely fit given the one I saw landed on a dead log and poked around it for a while before flying further down the path. It may very well have been laying eggs or searching for a partner.

Are Flat Red Bark Beetles Native to Ontario?

Yes.

These are home grown beetles. According to BugGuide.net they are found in most of North America including Newfoundland and Alaska.

Do Red Flat Bark Beetles Kill My Trees?

According to BugGuide their food source is not known but it is believed they eat other arthropods not vegetation.  That suggests that something else may be harming a tree and loosening the bark long before the Red Flat Bark Beetle arrives. So while you may see them on a dying tree they may not be part of the problem. In fact, they may be helpful as they eat wood-boring insects and larvae.

Why Was This Bark Beetle Flying Around in April?

The wings, just visible here, appear to be mostly clear with some lines, although I admit It’s not easy to tell from this out of focus photo!

According to a Pennsylvania State University article the adults typically mate in the spring. Then eggs are laid, usually under the bark of a living tree (which presumably has signs of wood boring attackers for the babies to eat). The young take two years to mature and adults usually emerge in the fall. The adults can over-winter very easily.

So my beetle was probably looking for a little romance in the spring sun. I’m glad I caught a glimpse of it as I don’t plan on pulling loose bark off trees and trunks any time soon so I never would have seen one otherwise!

Related Reading

• Tiger Beetles Can Look Emerald Green Too
• A Small Red, White and Black Moth in Spring
• Spring Butterflies Sipping Sap

Join In
Have you discovered one of these bright red beetles with black legs? I hope it wasn’t inside, as many people seem to find them when they are seeking shelter from the winter and end up inside homes. If so, feel free to put it back outside! It won’t freeze! Please share your sighting with a comment.