Bug FAQYellow Velvet Beetle
Lepturobosca chrysocoma · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Cerambycidae
Yellow velvet beetles are 10 to 20 mm long and are most often seen on flowers during the summer. Their larvae live in decaying wood of trees such as black spruce and poplar.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure between 10 and 20 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Adults are commonly found feeding on flowers in the summer. Larvae develop in decaying wood of trees, including black spruce and poplar.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on flower nectar and pollen. Larvae feed on decaying wood of trees such as Picea mariana and Populus.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species can be parasitized by the wasp Coleocentrus quebecensis.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are most visible in the summer months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
In Canada they occur from British Columbia to Newfoundland and the northern territories, and in the U.S. they are known from Montana and Wyoming.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
A 1998 taxonomic review merged the genera Cosmalia and Lepturobosca, so older references may use different names.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Washington, Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do yellow velvet beetles eat?
Adults feed on flowers, while the larvae eat decaying wood of trees such as black spruce and poplar.
Source: Wikipedia
When are yellow velvet beetles active?
They are most commonly seen on flowers during the summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find yellow velvet beetles?
They occur across many Canadian provinces and territories and have been recorded in Montana and Wyoming in the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Are there other beetles that look like the yellow velvet beetle?
Older literature may list it under the name Cosmalia chrysocoma, which was later merged with Lepturobosca.
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 maculataDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepturobosca_chrysocoma
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.