Musk beetle

Description:

A large (13-35 mm) flat elongated beetle with beautiful metallic green-blue-bronze colour. Males antennas longer than body, females antennas shorter than body. Adults can be seen from june to september, visiting flowers and on stems of host trees. The beetle can, when held, excrete a special fragrance of musk. Like most cerambycidae it can also emit a buzzing sound when it is disturbed.

Habitat:

The larvae develops in salix-wood, preferably Salix caprea. It prefers trees with wounds and lives in the area between dead and living tissue. Sometimes a large number of individuals can be spotted on the same tree and same time. Developing from egg to adult takes 3-4 years. The Musk beetle, Myskbocken in swedish, is a relatively common species in Scandinavia.