Insects and Spiders - native

Western Cedar Borer (Trachykele blondeli) on Jul 8, 2025

Originally reported as Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

1st beetle: found alive, Beautiful green that sparkled, caught put in jar and seemed strong enough to move the item I had put to cover it up, escaped

2nd beetle: Found dead near the tree the first one had fell out of

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 ODF EAB webpage with some photos of other Oregon insects that could be mistaken for EAB

https://oregon-eab-geo.hub.arcgis.com/pages/identify

Thanks for being on the lookout!

Tom Valente
July 10, 2025, 2:05 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

Downtown of salem, Oregon. Found falling out of a pine tree off of liberty st. Behind salem police department near small businesses

Expert Reviewer

Tom Valente
Oregon Department of Agriculture

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