Every year each master gardener volunteer takes his / her turn working the booth to help the public by answering questions and sharing knowledge about gardening and horticulture.

This year as I took my turn, a lady came up to ask a question.

She had a picture of an insect that intrigued all of us! I got home and set about to identify the critter that was unusual to me.

With some basic searching — I found it!

After finding it, I worked to get verification that my identification was correct. Now, I am writing about this fascinating insect to help you with your gardening projects and the insects you find when working in the garden.

The insect in question is the bumble flower beetle (Euphoria inda).

It is related to the June bug and Japanese beetle. It is certainly not a pest — so there is no need to control it.

This insect is the size of a nickel, with furry body – specifically yellow/brown hairs on its back, and on its undersides. It has a mottling of gray to brown on its shell with irregular black spots. It has lamellate antennae (stalks with three sprouts on the end) and a tiny arrowhead shape at the base of the thorax.

The two sets of thin membranous wings are covered with a hard shell set of wings called the elytra.

Normally, when a beetle flies, these elytra are lifted up for the wings to spread and fly.

Well, the bumble flower beetle does not lift the elytra, and this may contribute to the buzzing sound made when these beetles fly.

The combination of their hairy appearance and the buzzing sound of these beetles often make them mistaken for bumblebees. Thus, the name.

Eggs are laid in organic matter, compost, leaf litter or mulch in the spring. These hatch in seven to 10 days and the grubs begin feeding. They resemble grubs of Japanese beetles in lawns, but they only eat decaying matter.

They pupate 2-5 inches into the soil. The adults emerge and are active mid-August through September, concentrating on food and mating. They overwinter in leaf litter to begin the next spring. There is just one generation per year.

These beetles eat decaying fruit and vegetables, sap from trees and other decomposing plant tissue. There are 24 Euphoria species in North America.

The buzzing sound is thought to keep predators away, and the mottling and spotting is helpful camouflage for protection. These beetles are considered most helpful.

To learn about these most interesting insects, go to https://go.osu.edu/bumbleflowerbeetle

Hughes is an Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Mahoning County.