Bessie bugs live together as a family under the bark of decaying logs. Both the male and female process decaying wood as food and feed it to their larvae.
Both adults and larvae love to eat rotting wood or hardwood logs plus the fungi and juices associated with it. Adults feed the larvae by chewing wood to soften it before feeding it to the larvae.
Beetles live for more than a year. Although they fly, they do not do it commonly especially the adults. They tend to stay in the galleries and tunnels in their colony’s home. When the adults fly, it may be for mating or dispersal or because light captivates them.
There are many types of insects that either harm or help the plants. These insects are not common to many people and could be destroyed with the thought that they are harmful.