This beetle is about 3/5 of an inch long. It is dark brown and has 2 pairs of short white bars on the elytra. They are more or less flattened from above and are very hairy. This beetle was identified by M.J.Paulsen, an entomologist at the University of Nebraska Museum in Lincoln, NE and a volunteer for Buguide.net.
Adults are active fliers found on flowers where they feed on pollen. Larvae feed on decaying stumps, logs, or branches of deciduous trees. They are widely distributed in the eastern half of the U.S. Their distribution in Fontenelle Forest is unknown. Photos A and B were photographed in Fontenelle Forest on Queen Ann;s Lace but they are also common on N.J. Tea and wild hydrangea.
Belongs to the Flower scarab subfamily (Cetoniinae). This genus includes eight species ranging throughout the U.S. and southern Canada. Adult chafers eat the leaves and flowers of many deciduous trees, shrubs and other plants, but rarely cause any serious damage. However, their fat, white grubs live in the soil and feed on plant roots, especially those of grasses and cereals, and are occasional pests in pastures, nurseries, gardens, and in golf-courses.
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