Tags
British beetles, British insects, Longhorn beetles, longhorns, Rutpela maculata, Spotted longhorn beetle
I’ve been seeing quite a few of these handsome mini-beasties recently, the Spotted longhorn beetles (Rutpela maculata).
Though the pattern of their black-and-yellow markings can vary a bit, they’re really quite unmistakeable.
They’re large beetles and look quite fierce, but they’re harmless.
Spotted longhorns are most often found feasting on the pollen of the umbellifer and other flowers that grow in hedgerows and alongside woodland paths.
Their larvae overwinter in rotten wood, then emerge as adults in late Spring, so these lovely longhorns can be seen from May through till around the end of August.
