Independent field guide
Know the beetles that are killing American trees — and what to do about them.
A calm, plain-language reference to the invasive insects threatening the trees in your yard and neighborhood. Learn to tell a harmless look-alike from a genuine threat — and how to report the real thing to the people who can act on it.
The BeetleBusters name has helped Americans spot and report the Asian Longhorned Beetle since the 2000s — this site continues that mission as an independent resource.
Found a suspicious beetle? Report it.
If you think you’ve spotted an Asian Longhorned Beetle, reporting it quickly helps stop an infestation before it spreads to your neighborhood’s trees.
Start with a pest
Guides in progressAsian Longhorned Beetle
Anoplophora glabripennis
The shiny black beetle with white spots and long banded antennae that tunnels through hardwoods — and the reason this site exists.
Read the guide →Spotted Lanternfly
Lycorma delicatula
The planthopper spreading across the eastern US, threatening orchards, vineyards, and shade trees.
Emerald Ash Borer
Agrilus planipennis
The metallic-green beetle that has already killed hundreds of millions of ash trees across North America.
What's Killing My Tree?
Diagnostic guide
Start here if you have symptoms but no culprit. Work from what you see — holes, dieback, sap — to the likely cause.
Built around the field ID card
Every pest guide is anchored by a consistent identification card: what it looks like, how big it is, the marks that give it away, and the harmless insects it’s most often mistaken for. No jargon, no guesswork.
Below: the Asian Longhorned Beetle — the pest this site was originally built to fight.
Anoplophora glabripennis
- Size
- Body 1–1.5 in (2.5–3.9 cm); antennae often longer than the body
- Field marks
-
- Glossy jet-black body with irregular white spots
- Long antennae banded black and white
- Six legs that can look bluish-white
- Round, dime-sized exit holes in tree trunks and branches
- Often confused with
- The native (and harmless) Whitespotted Sawyer beetle
Why you can trust this guide
BeetleBusters is an independent educational project. We are not affiliated with the USDA, APHIS, or any government agency. Our role is to translate official guidance from federal and university extension sources into something a homeowner can actually use — and to point you to the right official channel when it’s time to report. How we work →