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Cottonwood Borers (Plectrodera scalator)


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Yes, I know Plectrodera scalator is considered a pest by many. However, I think these somewhat large beetles are strikingly beautiful!--Hey, one man's pest is another man's pet!

 

I collected an adult early in the summer and fed it leaf stems and shoots from poplar, cottonwood, and willow trees. Sadly, my P. scalator just passed away this last weekend and is now drying out on my pinning board (to be added to my private collection and admired for years to come, of course).

 

Anyway, I know the location of a couple of trees that have some P. scalator larvae living in them. The guy who owns the property wants them dead. I, on the other hand, want to attempt to raise them in captivity, but I haven't a clue as to how to set up the right environment, or even if it would be possible to do so without MAJOR losses of larvae during the trial and error portion of the process.

 

I know this is asking a lot, but does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about this endeavor without incurring massive larval casualties?

 

Also, does anyone have any literature or knowledge concerning how one determines the sex of a P. scalator via physical appearances?

 

Cheers

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