Alex, can you please send the sample of your beetle to Helmuth Rogg and/or Jim LaBonte at Oregon Department of Agriculture, 635 Capitol St NE, Salem, OR 97301? We cannot confirm this report until we have identification by an entomologist. Thank you!

Lisa DeBruyckere
Aug. 22, 2011, 6:03 a.m.

Here's the identification:

Alex, here's the identification of the insect you reported.

Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cerambycidae
Species: Ergates spiculatus

This is Ergates spiculatus, the ponderous borer. Their larvae feed in stressed, dead, and decaying conifers of all sorts; the adults don't feed. They are native to Oregon and they are the largest beetle in the West. They are often attracted to homes due to lights.

Thanks for your report!

Lisa DeBruyckere
Aug. 24, 2011, 2:01 a.m.