6/24/2023 0 Comments Coconut rhinoceros beetle mites![]() ![]() Plant a few Poinciana trees to bring rhino bugs into the area, and make sure you keep them healthy.Love rivals, the source of many bitter tree-top battles.Fresh young tree shoots, especially Poinciana after summer rains.Some of the Rhino Beetle’۪s scarab relatives, like the cane beetle, have a bad reputation for damaging the roots of sugar cane crops, but Rhino Beetles and their babies don’۪t eat any part of sugar cane at all. It might look like they are eating quite a lot of the leaves if there is only one tasty tree in the neighbourhood for them to meet at, but they rarely do any lasting damage to a tree. They hiss and push each other off trees with their horns to impress any nearby females.Īdult Rhino Beetles love Poinciana trees, so if you have one at or near your house you could see a huge number of Rhino Beetles getting together for a feast. In summer, you might see big groups of males getting together to fight. But they’re not always as kind to each other as they are to us. Rhino Beetles get along so well with humans that they are even kept as pets in some parts of the world. You might find them collecting under your veranda lights or flying into your windows, so just turn off the lights or pull down the blinds to deter them. Like a lot of beetles and insects, Rhino Beetles are attracted to bright lights at night. Rhino Beetle babies feed on decaying organic matter, so having a healthy compost bin in your backyard is a great way to attract female Rhino Beetles looking for somewhere to lay their eggs. At full size, they can be up to 7 cm long and really plump. You will recognise them if you see one they are c-shaped, white grubs with fine reddish hairs and a brown head. It’s not just adult beetles that are big – Rhino Beetle babies are huge too. Especially during summer months, female Rhino Beetles release special hormones to attract the males. Only the males have horns they use them to fight with other males to win the attention of their favourite females. If you see a big black beetle in your garden but it doesn’۪t have the characteristic horn, you may still have found a Rhino Beetle. You can help look after Rhino Beetles in your Backyard Even though they have big forked horns and tight gripping claws, they aren’t strong enough or mean enough to hurt a human. ![]() Rhino Beetles have a very unique appearance, but don’t judge a rhino on its looks. If you go for a walk on a warm night in the tropics, you may even hear a Rhino Beetle’s distinctive hissing sound. Rhino Beetles only live in warm coastal tropical or subtropical climates, so in Australia they are mostly found in Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern New South Wales. In fact, they are Australia’s largest beetle. These quirky shiny-black beetles grow to around 6 or 7 cm in length so you will definitely see them when they fly about. They are made of chitin just like the rest of the beetles’ exoskeleton, and are hollow and dry with no blood or muscle in them at all.Īt first glance Rhinoceros or Rhino Beetles might seem a little antisocial, but they are not only harmless but truly fascinating.
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