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Identification
Beetles in Tennessee have different shapes, colorations and sizes. Many of these beetles are black, including the three species of ips beetle and the southern pine beetle. The cereal leaf beetle has a similar color, more accurately described as metallic blue-black. They also have red legs and a red marking behind their head. That beetle is also one of the smaller ones, measuring in at only 3/16-inches as an adult. The Japanese beetle, on the other hand, grows to 3/8-inches as an adult. They are metallic green with coppery wing covers.
Mating Practices
Mating and egg-laying practices are distinctive among different species of Tennessee beetles. Consider the Japanese beetle, for instance. Females lay their eggs up to 3 inches under the topsoil; adults also live in the soil for much of their lives. Cereal leaf beetles, on the other hand, lay their eggs on the upper surface of the leaves of the host plant they occupy. The larvae then turn into adult beetles in the soil. Ips beetles find a suitable pine tree to inhabit and once they do they secrete a hormone that attracts other members of the species to mate in the pine tree, where they also lay their eggs.
Feeding
Not every beetle feeds on the same plants. In fact, Tennessee beetles have a variety of different tastes and feeding habits. Ips beetles seek out stressed pine trees and make their way between the outermost bark and the wood of the tree. There, it infests the tree and feeds on it until it dies. They feed on every pine species in Tennessee. The Southern pine beetle also feeds on pine, but specifically on Southern yellow pines and Table Mountain pines. Cereal leaf beetles feed on small grains. Japanese beetles represent the least picky of eaters, feeding on more than 300 species of plants.
Pest Problems
Many beetles in Tennessee are considered pests. The Southern pine beetle, for instance, is the most destructive insect killer of pine trees in the southeast United States. Between 1999 and 2001, Tennessee witnessed its worst epidemic of these beetles, leading to the destruction of more than $358 million of pine timber. Cereal grain beetles are found in personal grain stores throughout 93 counties in the state, including oat, barley and corn. Japanese beetles, though less dangerous, can cause damage to nursery stock and vegetable crops, leaving behind skeletal leaves and ruined roots.