Insects and Spiders - native

Jewel Beetles, species unknown (Buprestis spp.) on Jul 27, 2022

Submitter has sample

Description of specimen

The beetle is metallic emerald green with a shiny gold head. I'm not sure if it is an Emerald Ash Borer or a metallic wood boring beetle. This is the first time I've seen a beetle like this.

Commentary

Thank you for your report! This is not EAB. It's a native member of the Metallic Wood-boring beetle family in the genus Buprestis. These beetles are larger and less slender than EAB. They are not tree killers.

There are a number of iridescent green look-alike beetles in Oregon that are not pests. I am attaching a link to the ODA EAB webpage with some photos of other Oregon insects that could be mistaken for EAB

https://www.oregon.gov/oda/programs/IPPM/SurveyTreatment/Documents/EABLookAlikes.pdf

Thanks for being on the lookout!

Tom Valente
July 28, 2022, 3:27 a.m.

Resources

There are a few native, non-destructive wood boring beetles in the Buprestis genus, several of which are metallic green and may be confused with the Emerald Ash Borer. There is a nice guide from Oregon Dept of Agriculture for EAB look-alikes and you can learn more about the Buprestis beetles of Oregon at iNaturalist.

Location

On Saturday, July 23, 2022 around 6:10 p.m. I found a metallic green beetle with gold head on our upper TimberTech deck stairs on the north side of our house.

Expert Reviewer

Tom Valente
Oregon Department of Agriculture

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