Firewood-pest
Guides
Brochymena quadripustulata
Four-humped Stink Bug, Rough Stink Bug
Brochymena quadripustulata is a native North American stink bug commonly known as the four-humped stink bug or rough stink bug. Adults range from 10–19 mm in body length and display remarkable cryptic coloration resembling lichen-mottled tree bark. The species is frequently confused with the invasive brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), but can be distinguished by spiny projections on the pronotum and uniformly dark antennae lacking white bands. It has one generation per year in temperate climates, with adults overwintering beneath loose bark or in firewood piles.
Megacyllene caryae
painted hickory borer, hickory borer
Megacyllene caryae, known as the painted hickory borer or hickory borer, is a longhorned beetle species in the family Cerambycidae. It occurs in the eastern United States and has been introduced to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. Adults are active exclusively in spring, emerging from dead hickory wood as temperatures warm. The species is frequently misidentified as the closely related locust borer (M. robiniae) due to their nearly identical appearance, though they differ in seasonality, host plants, and subtle morphological characters.
Neoclytus
Neoclytus is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) comprising approximately 93 species native to the New World. Adults are small to medium-sized beetles (4-20 mm) with striking black-and-yellow or black-and-white banded patterns that provide wasp-mimicry protection. The genus is notable for male-produced aggregation pheromones that attract both sexes. Larvae are wood-borers primarily of dead, dying, or stressed hardwood trees, with several species frequently encountered emerging from stored firewood.
Neoclytus caprea
Banded Ash Borer
Neoclytus caprea, commonly called the banded ash borer, is a North American longhorn beetle in the family Cerambycidae. Adults display striking yellow and black (females) or white and black (males) banded coloration that mimics wasps. The species develops in the sapwood of ash, hickory, elm, and oak trees, completing one generation per year. Unlike the invasive emerald ash borer, this native species primarily colonizes stressed, dying, or recently dead wood rather than healthy trees.