I am in central Texas and this is the first year I have ever seen this insect. It is only on my Golden Chain Tree. They stay around the base and up the trunk. These things are like the Palmetto bug, you can't kill them. Many of them seem to be hooked together in reverse. They are about 3/4' long.
Thanks
These appear to be Jadera haematoloma (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Rhopalidae) - see http://tinyurl.com/27kwbjp for an image. They feed primarily on the developing seeds of the tree, and do not appear to cause any serious harm - see http://tinyurl.com/26w5xgn for details.
That looks and sounds exactly what they are. They must be eating the seeds of the Golden Chain tree as mentioned, since that is where they are. I will leave them alone and let nature take its course. Thanks so much for easing my mind.
we had a relative of this one in the keys. it only fed on mahoe tree debris that had fallen to the ground.
you get used to them after a while....
