The Banded Alder Borer is a black and white beetle with long, black and white antennae. The round pronotum below the head is white with a large black dot in the middle of it. The wing coverings, called elytra, are black with three wide bands of white crossing them. A white dot on each side sits in the center of each elytron. The legs are also black and white.
The beetle seems to be able to sense trees that are under duress by detecting odors released by an injured tree. Fallen or stressed alder, willow, and ash trees are both used by this beetle for rearing young. After hatching from eggs laid on tree bark, worm-like grubs chew their way into the deeper wood of the trunk, etching small tunnels in the tissue that are revealed if the tree is milled for lumber. ©BeetleIdentification.org
The Banded Alder Borer Beetle is also known by the name(s) of: California Laurel Borer.
The Banded Alder Borer Beetle is typically 0.9 inches to 1.5 inches (23mm to 40mm) in size and has the following descriptors / identifiers: gray; grey; white; black; striped; pattern; antenna; wood; borer; boring; beetle.
Territorial Area Map (Visual Reference Guide)
The map below showcases (in blue) the states and territories of North America where the Banded Alder Borer Beetle may be found (but is not limited to). This sort of data can be useful in seeing concentrations of a particular species over the continent as well as revealing possible migratory patterns over a species' given lifespan. Some species are naturally confined by environment, weather, mating habits, food resources and the like while others see widespread expansion across most, or all, of North America.
