Insects and Spiders - native

Western Cedar Borer (Trachykele blondeli) on Jul 27, 2025

Originally reported as Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

Submitter has sample

Description of specimen

We found one dead emerald ash borer near our back door. Identified it online because I had never seen this bug before.

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 29, 2025, 1:18 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

I found an emerald ash borer in my backyard, near our back door. Nearest cross streets are Kaiser Rd and Applegate Lane. We don’t have ash trees on our property.

Expert Reviewer

Tom Valente
Oregon Department of Agriculture

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