Insects and Spiders - native

Jewel Beetles, species unknown (Buprestis spp.) on May 8, 2026

Originally reported as Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

I believe I found a ash emerald borer bug while serving at camp attitude not totally sure but in science we were learning about invasive species and I was like I took a pic of a bug js like this and teach said to report it

Commentary

Avatar of commenter 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. 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
May 8, 2026, 1:48 p.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

Play ground at the camp

Expert Reviewer

Avatar of Reviewer

Tom Valente
Oregon Department of Agriculture

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