Bombala Times contributing photographer, Sally-Ann Thompson took these photos of a mass of bugs that appeared on the ground after the recent heavy rain.
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We posted the photo on Facebook and asked readers out there if there were any budding entomologists that may be able to help us identify the critter so that we can find out what it and its friends are up to?
It was Bombala Times Facebook friend Nicole Lyons who shared the post with Danielle Stocks who had absolutely no trouble identifying the little bugs as Soldier beetles - Chauliognathus lugubris.
Ms Stokes posted a link to the CSIROscope website that said, “The Plague Soldier Beetle isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds”, by Kim Pullen, Australian National Insect Collection.
It went on to say that the unfamiliar yellow and green beetle with a soft body was a source of curiosity if and when it turns up in your garden.
“Will it eat the plants, or bite people?
A dozen of the beetles together might start to cause concern.
But ten thousand of them festooning a tree are bound to raise alarm.
Yet the insect in question won’t harm either you or your plants.
“The Plague Soldier Beetle, Chauliognathus lugubris is still something of a mystery. It is a native species found in temperate southeastern Australia that occasionally builds up to massive numbers.
Its grubs live in the soil, feeding on other small creatures.
The adult beetles don’t seem to eat the plants they settle on, although the sheer weight of a mass of them may break weaker twigs.
What they are more interested in is sucking nectar from flowering trees, and copulating.
The bright colours of Chauliognathus are a warning to any predator thinking of taking a swipe at one, as they exude a white viscous fluid from their glands that repels any predators thinking of getting too close.
The soldier beetle also secretes the same chemical in a wax form to protect it’s eggs against infection.
CSIRO researchers have recently found the genes that give the chemical its anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties, and were able to replicate the synthesis in the lab.
This may one day lead to the development of new antibiotic and anti-cancer related products.”
However, one comment posted on the CSIRO website by Wendy Garcia went on to say that she was pretty sure that they can sting you.
“I was sweeping up and not wearing shoes when I felt a sting on my foot and soldier beetles were the only living creature in the area.”
