Insects and Spiders - native

Longhorn Beetles (Cerambycidae) on Sep 3, 2017

Originally reported as Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis)

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

I removed a very sticky tall Pine tree from the front yard and put the wood in the backyard to be spit up for firewood and yesterday while controlling a bee hive, I noticed my wood pile was making chewing noises and some pieces had shaving/sawdust piling up so I split that round up and found a larvae inside that looks to be a Asian Longhorned Beetle but not sure.

Commentary

ALB attacks hardwoods so yes this is not ALB. We have many native cerambycids (also known that roundheaded borers or longhorned beetles) that infest pine trees and identifying the larvae requires a key and a microscope because many of their characters are slight. However, our natives are all secondary meaning that they do not directly cause tree mortality and their presence does not indicate that the tree is dying (unless you see other indicators such as mass fading foliage). I would not be concerned if you only found one. If the tree looks to be failing something else is causing it and these insects may move infest in larger numbers as decomposers.

Christine Buhl
Sept. 6, 2017, 8:06 a.m.

I would not be concerned with these insects infesting your standing trees if they seem healthy. It's common to have these types of woodborers emerge from firewood, even log houses, etc. Sometimes they take just a year to develop egg-adult or even decades depending on the wood quality and the species.

Christine Buhl
Sept. 6, 2017, 8:15 a.m.