Bug FAQMesquite Borer
Placosternus difficilis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Cerambycidae
Source: Wikipedia
The mesquite borer is a long-horn beetle that looks like a black and yellow wasp. Its larvae develop inside wood, especially fresh cuts or broken limbs of mesquite and other trees. Adults feed on flower nectar and pollen.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Placosternus difficilis is a wood-boring long-horn beetle that resembles a black and yellow wasp.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Larvae develop inside wood of mesquite and other trees, which can harm the trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The larvae are laid in mesquite trees and a variety of other host plants, showing a broad host range. Adults are attracted to freshly cut or broken mesquite limbs and logs.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adult beetles feed on nectar and pollen from flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs in the United States from California to Texas, as well as in Mexico, Honduras, Cuba and the Bahamas.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be mistaken for a black and yellow wasp because of its similar coloration.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Kansas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the mesquite borer look like?
It is a long-horn beetle that looks like a black and yellow wasp.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the mesquite borer found?
It lives in the United States from California to Texas and also in Mexico, Honduras, Cuba and the Bahamas.
Source: Wikipedia
How do mesquite borers affect trees?
Their larvae bore into wood of mesquite and other trees, damaging the trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Cerambycidae)
House LonghornHylotrupes bajulusCan damage your home
Asian Longhorned BeetleAnoplophora glabripennisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red Milkweed BeetleTetraopes tetrophthalmus
White-spotted SawyerMonochamus scutellatusCan damage your home
Red Pine Longhorn BeetleStictoleptura rubra
Spotted Longhorn BeetleRutpela maculataSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placosternus_difficilis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.