Red-headed Ash Borer

Found across North America in deciduous forests and suburban areas where hardwood trees like ash, hickory, and oak are present. They are often seen on freshly cut logs or weakened trees.

Adults feed on the sap and pollen of flowers; larvae are wood-borers that feed on the sapwood of dead or dying hardwoods.

They are mimicry specialists, often resembling wasps in their coloring and quick, jerky movements to avoid predators. They are most active during the spring and summer. Females lay eggs in crevices of bark on stressed or recently dead trees.

They are considered a minor pest to the timber industry as they can degrade the value of firewood and lumber. They are generally harmless to humans as they do not sting or bite defensively, and they benefit the ecosystem by assisting in the decomposition of dead wood.