Posted by Melanie Christenson on July 23, 2007

Q: In June we found lots of these interesting insects on our sliding door of our house. When you touch them, they poke their long feelers back at you like they're going to grab you with them. They fly occasionally and are quite big. Do you know what it is?

Melanie

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: Wisconsin

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: I can tell you the family these beetles are in but not their specific kind (species). This is one of the Long-horned Beetles in the family Cerambycidae. This is a very large family with over 1,200 species in North America. The adults often feed on flowers but their young are wood borers in their larval stage. However, I don't think you need to be concerned about your house's structure as these insects are attracted to living trees or freshly cut wood. If you want to google this family, you should be able to see lots of different species - some quite beautiful - but whether or not you'll find your exact one will be iffy. Long-horn Beetles can bite but if you pick them up behind the head, they can't do so; their antennae are entirely harmless. Hope this helps and thanks for asking.

John Wiessinger ( July 23, 2007)