Insects and Spiders - native

Western Cedar Borer (Trachykele blondeli) on Jun 4, 2024

Originally reported as Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

Submitter has sample

Description of specimen

Iridescent green shine when lit by the sun, but barely looks green at all in the shade.
It is a 5/8th inch long beetle with large black eyes.
I tried using the Forest Pest Detector Field Guide, but I am unsure if this beetle is or is not an emerald ash borer.

Commentary

Thank you for your report! This is not EAB. It's a native member of the Metallic Wood-boring beetle family, the Western cedar borer, Trachykele blondeli. 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
June 5, 2024, 4:44 a.m.

Resources

Western Cedar Borer information on iNaturalist and a guide to wood boring beetles in Oregon from the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Location

This beetle was found crawling along my front yard's wooden retaining wall at about 9:10am on June 5th, 2024.

Expert Reviewer

Tom Valente
Oregon Department of Agriculture

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