We were pruning some dead limbs out of a Silver Cloud Redbud when we came across this borer. He was completely inside the twig and we accidentally cutoff his backend so the picture is as good as we could manage. He's just over a quarter inch long and he's black with at least six (maybe ten) iridescent orange spots. Anyone familiar with this one?
http://bugguide.net/node/view/44905
Phaenops and Melanophila are other possible genera, but it's definitely in the Buprestidae family, metallic wood-boring beetles.
Thanks claypa! That'll at least give me a starting point.
I help run an IMP in southeast Michgan. I'v seen this borer in many landscapes. I refer to it as wood borer too. To save your redbud you need a soil drench insecticide. Apply it in the spring or as soon as your plants are uptaking.
