Old Oak Wood boaring worm or beetle? - Ask Extension
Hi I live in the Bethany Neighborhood in Washington County Oregon and live at the end of an Oak Grove. We recently lost 3 oaks due to some sort of wo...
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Old Oak Wood boaring worm or beetle? #557878
Asked May 02, 2019, 10:49 PM EDT
Hi I live in the Bethany Neighborhood in Washington County Oregon and live at the end of an Oak Grove. We recently lost 3 oaks due to some sort of wood infestation. This makes us concerned about our other trees and all the old oaks in the neighborhood. Can you help me identify what this is? The bug came out of the inner part of the infested tree after it was taken down. I have included pictures of the tree. Also can it spread to my other hopefully healthy trees? What actions can be taken to protect these beautiful trees.
Thank you!
Cathy
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
Thank you for your question, Cathy. The insect you found would not be a worm, but a larval stage of an insect, probably a wood-boring insect such as a beetle. We are researching, and will get back to you!
Another expert believes the insect you photographed to be a snake fly pupa, a predator of other pests. Do you have any other insect photos?
We are trying to get a better example of the beetle or insect. We will look again over the next few days and see if we can find something. I will update in the next weeks as we look through the downed wood. We feel like they are deep in the wood hard to get at. Any response back would be much appreciated.
Great! And you can always take what you have to the Wa County Extension office for help: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/washington
