Bug FAQRough Hermit Beetle
Osmoderma scabra · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Also called: Rough Osmoderma, Scabby Flower Chafer
The Rough Hermit Beetle is a black beetle about 1.4 to 2.0 cm long, sometimes showing a metallic sheen. It lives in eastern North America, from Quebec down to Tennessee, and adults are active at night near sap flows or under bark.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are black and may have a metallic shine, measuring 14 to 20 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Individuals measure between 14 and 20 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active during the night.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to eastern North America, ranging from Quebec to Tennessee.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 27 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Hampshire.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Scarabaeidae)
Japanese BeetlePopillia japonicaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Green June BeetleCotinis nitidaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllophaga crinitaPhyllophaga crinitaDamages trees, gardens or crops
European Rose ChaferCetonia aurata
Mediterranean Spotted ChaferOxythyrea funestaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Oriental BeetleExomala orientalisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmoderma_scabrum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.