Photo by Bill Reynolds
The whitespotted sawyer (Monochamus scutellatus scutellatus) is a common, widespread, long-horned beetle often found in fire-damaged coniferous and mixed forests. It is most easily identified by a small white spot between the bases of its wings. The larva of this beetle spends two years boring through pine, spruce, fir, or tamarack before emerging as an adult. While the damage it causes is not sufficient to kill the tree, the bore hole it makes allows various fungi, which can be fatal, to enter the tree.