Golden Buprestid Beetle (Buprestis aurulenta) on Jul 12, 2022
Submitter does not have a specimen
Description of specimen
Metallic bug on our wood for our house. Photo attached.
Commentary
Thank you for your report! This is a native, non-destructive species, the golden buprestid, Buprestis aurulenta. This insect feeds on a wide variety of conifers, unlike emerald ash borer, which feeds only on ash. The golden buprestid only attacks dying or recently dead trees. However, the grubs can survive for decades in untreated lumber cut from infested trees, sometimes emerging from houses many years after construction. Golden buprestids cannot reinfest lumber or houses. You can see more photos and a range map of golden buprestid beetles on iNaturalist, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/215596-Buprestis-aurulenta. Emerald ash borers are about half the size of golden buprestids and a quarter as wide. There is a nice guide to look-alikes from ODA here: https://www.oregon.gov/oda/programs/IPPM/SurveyTreatment/Documents/EABLookAlikes.pdf
We are building a house on a lot next to our house and found this bug. We killed it and have not seen any since.
Expert Reviewer
Mrs. Lindsey Wise Oregon Biodiversity Information Center, inr.oregonstate.edu/orbic Oregon iMapInvasives Institute for Natural Resources Portland State University
Lindsey Wise
July 14, 2022, 6:43 a.m.