Photo by Drees. Adults beetles are roughly inch long, charcoal gray and have antennae that are longer than the body. They are more common in sandier soils along the Texas coast. They pupate in late spring and adults emerge in early summer.
Mated females chew crevices along leaf petioles in which they lay eggs.
There is only one generation per year. Mouthparts are for chewing. In addition to soybeans, soybean stem borers host plants include cocklebur, ragweed and other weeds. Larvae are apparently cannibalistic, as only one larvae develops per stem. Adults can be found in the spring using a sweep net or at lights at night.