Species name: Buprestis aurulenta
This beetle is commonly referred to as the Douglas-fir wood borer. The adult beetle lays her fertilized eggs in bark crevices of injured or fallen trees. The larvae bore into the center of the tree trunk, feeding and growing in 10 years in their natural environment and in up to 50 years when they live in a milled piece of lumber. The Golden Buprestid Beetle is considered to be one of the longest-lived insects in the world. Though these beetles do not destroy trees and wood, they are considered a nuisance by timber harvesters because the decrease the value of wood due to the small holes they leave behind after burrowing. The adult beetles feed on the needles of Douglas fir-trees. These beetles serve as an important food source for insectivorous birds like woodpeckers and Vaux’s swift.
