They are usually white to cream colored with a darker plate on the thorax. The head is actually mostly hidden and fleshy. There are many other beetle groups that have wood boring species. Larvae can easily be confused with long horned wood borers but the adults are much different. Adult beetles are usually short-lived, surviving for a few weeks.
Adults emerge in the spring and summer depending on the species.
Eggs are laid in crevices in the bark for wood boring species. Larvae develop inside the plant primarily just under the bark for wood borers or inside stems or roots. Leaf-mining species may have several generations per year. However, most species have one generation per year or take multiple years to develop. There are a few records of development over 8 years.