Bug FAQRed Oak Borer
Enaphalodes rufulus · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Cerambycidae
Source: Wikipedia
Adults are 0.8-1.2 inches long and have a faded mix of tan, brown and red colors, with females having antennae about as long as their bodies and males about twice as long. The beetle attacks several oak species, including black oak, northern red oak and scarlet oak, causing damage to the trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s color is a faded blend of tan, brown and red. Females have antennae about the length of their bodies, while males have antennae roughly twice as long.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure between 0.8 and 1.2 inches (2-3 cm) long.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Red Oak Borer attacks oak trees, making it a pest of those trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Red Oak Borer attacks various oak species such as black oak, northern red oak and scarlet oak.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It feeds on several oak species, including black oak, northern red oak and scarlet oak.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs are oblong, cream-colored and about 0.1 inches (2-3 mm) long.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Its eggs and larvae are typical of wood-boring cerambycid beetles, which helps distinguish it from other insects.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Massachusetts, Florida, Connecticut, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I identify a Red Oak Borer?
Look for a beetle 0.8-1.2 inches long with a faded tan-brown-red color; females have antennae about body length and males about twice as long.
Source: Wikipedia
What trees does the Red Oak Borer affect?
It attacks several oak species, including black oak, northern red oak and scarlet oak.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Cerambycidae)
House LonghornHylotrupes bajulusCan damage your home
Asian Longhorned BeetleAnoplophora glabripennisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red Milkweed BeetleTetraopes tetrophthalmus
White-spotted SawyerMonochamus scutellatusCan damage your home
Red Pine Longhorn BeetleStictoleptura rubra
Spotted Longhorn BeetleRutpela maculataDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enaphalodes_rufulus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.