Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Plant Species >> Trees

Longhorn Beetle Damage in Stored Cedar Posts

Pest Identification

Galleries under bark with ½-pencil-sized holes = Cerambycid (longhorn) beetle larvae. The tiny white "mites" are secondary fungus feeders, not the primary borers.

Origin

Infestation occurred before delivery—beetles attacked freshly cut logs at the source (Texas Hill Country).

Treatment

Spray posts with imidacloprid (Merit) or bifenthrin (Onyx) to kill remaining larvae.
For certainty, contact Texas A&M Forest Service:
- County offices: County Contacts
- Pest Management: Forest Pest Staff

Prevention for Future

Buy kiln-dried or debarked posts.
Store off-ground, covered, with air circulation.
Use promptly—don't stockpile long.

Trees: Spiny Orb-Weaver Spider on Live Oak in Florida: Beneficial and Harmless; Cedar Needle Drop and Cedar-Quince Rust: Normal vs. Action Needed; Bees Swarming Your Linden? It's Likely Aphids or Scale, Not the Tree; Treehouse Attachment in Cedar: Nails vs. Lag Bolts; Borer in Cleveland Pear After Wind Damage: Trunk Spray; Incense Cedar Growth Rate and Transplanting; Best Mulch for North Carolina Trees: Cedar vs. Pine Straw; Cedar Chairs: Timeless Comfort for Outdoor Living; Cedar Arbors: Architectural Beauty for Garden Entrances; Cedar Mulch: Benefits, Uses & Why It's a Top Choice for Garden Beds

Garden Articles

Cherry Tree "Powdery" Issue: Actually Cottony Scale

Elm Twig Pruner Damage: Early Summer Timing, Large Branches

Bay Laurel Cottony Scale: Soil Drench Imidacloprid

Managing a Forked Emerald Cedar: To Prune or Not to Prune

Cedar-Apple Rust: Orange Gel on Cedars, Spots on Apples

Cedar-Apple Rust on Arborvitae: Orange Jelly Horns in Spring

Planting Emerald Cedars in Canada: Fall vs. Spring, Garage Storage

Plants

White Fuzzy Balls on Aspen Trunks: Insect or Fungal Canker?

Clustering Insects on Tree Branches: Scale or Beetles?

When to Continue or Pause Systemic Tree Treatments

Aspen Borers: Trunk Spraying with Onyx or Merit

"Juniper-Cedar" at Lake of the Ozarks: It's Eastern Redcedar

Fertilizing New Emerald Cedars: Why Wait Two Years

Willow Aphids and Lady Beetles: Natural Control