Insects and Spiders - native

Golden Buprestid Beetle (Buprestis aurulenta) on Sep 10, 2025

Originally reported as Ash Bark Beetles (Hylesinus spp.)

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

See photos took on July 21. Ash beetle. Didn’t know it was a problem until I saw news clip. Took pic because I’d never seen one before.

Commentary

Thank you for your report! This is not EAB. It's a native member of the Metallic Wood-boring beetle family, the Golden Buprestid, Buprestis aurulenta. These beetles are larger and less slender than EAB. They are not tree killers. Their grubs live in dead conifers.

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
Sept. 11, 2025, 1:49 a.m.

Resources

Golden Buprestid Beetle information from iNaturalist

Location

My backyard.

Expert Reviewer

Tom Valente
Oregon Department of Agriculture

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