CLOSED: Beetle that eats my nectarines

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dashynova Fresno, CA Jan 03, 2022

What is it? This is the East Bay Area in California.

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Flapdoodle Minot, ND Jan 04, 2022

This is a soldier beetle (Coleoptera: Cantharidae); likely in the genus Cultellunguis - see https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/262373 for an example. Some three dozen species of soldier beetles have been recorded from California. These beetles are predators and pollen feeders; they would not be harming your nectarines.

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dashynova Fresno, CA Jan 04, 2022

Perhaps they eat the exposed nectarine flesh after the birds bite the fruit? I see the soldier beetles in the bite of the fruit. Is this a possibility? Thanks for the reply.

Post #10529740
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Flapdoodle Minot, ND Jan 04, 2022

As they sometimes will feed on nectar as well as pollen, it is possible that the beetles were licking up bits of juice from the bird-damaged flesh. To the best of my knowledge, they have not been reported to actually feed on fruit of any kind.

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dashynova Fresno, CA Jan 05, 2022

Okay thanks for the reply. Need to protect my nectarines from the birds next time I guess.

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