AusBonsai

Hi all
a few weeks ago, I noticed that my Acacia howittii had a hole in the middle of the trunk that had been covered in Bark. When I poked it the bark fell in the hole underneath and revealed a hole down the centre of the trunk that was several inches deep. It had been there a while as the bark had started rollin around the edges.
I took to school and Clinton and Ray reckoned it was some form of borer that had since dissapeared. I repotted the tree last week and there was nothing in the soil to indicate stress or anything eating the roots. The tree was potted into Akadama, but now in Diatomite mix.

Today when taking pics of my watering system, Notices a shell of a bug hanging out of it. I poked an prodded it and the Black head fell off and left the rest of the shell in there. I stuck a stick in it and pulled the rest out to reveal a hard shell ( like a cicada shell) but the bug looks like it crwaled out the "head' end and left the rest in the hole.
The hole is about 20 mm diameter and the bug carapace must have been about 2 inches in length
anyone have any idea what is was?

Ken

Witchity grub, they bore holes in timber and look similar, not sure if they shed a skin though.
I had several in my money tree.

Mick

I think it is the exoskeleton of the larvae of a longicorn beetle. Some useful information here: http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/plant_info ... ng_insects

Joel

The bright side of it Ken, is that it won't take long to make a hollow trunk out of your tree.

Paul

63pmp wrote:The bright side of it Ken, is that it won't take long to make a hollow trunk out of your tree.

Paul

LOL already done that now! Dunno how deep it is, but there must not be any more wood left on the trunk!

Ken

witchety grub

not a witchetty grub, as joel said its from the pupae of a longicorn beetle. They seem to love acacia, used to get heaps in our old fimbriata before it was cut down

Cool thansk everyone. I got the biggest shock when I saw it there

Ken

these things really used to freak me out, i was actually afriad to go near the tree in fear of being attacked lol. Love longicorns now though, beautiful beetles, my mates a taxonomist who mainly works with beetles so i collect them for him these days, soo many pretty species around