A tiny insect is silently killing California’s coast live oaks. First spotted in Ventura County last year, the goldspotted oak borer has already left a trail of dead trees across Southern California, reported KEYT. Experts say the beetle’s reach could expand rapidly if residents and officials don’t act.
What’s happening?
Cal Fire confirmed multiple detections of the goldspotted oak borer in Ventura County earlier in January. The first Ventura County infestation was detected on a coast live oak along Box Canyon Road in August 2024. The infected tree was removed to try to stop the spread. Despite that, a second oak already dead from infestation was found in Santa Susana in April 2025, followed by additional dying trees along Las Llajas Canyon Road in May.
“Since its discovery in San Diego County in 2008, the invasive beetle species is estimated to have killed more than 200,000 mature oak trees as it has spread to San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, and now, Ventura counties,” the agency said in a press release.
Why are infestations and dead trees concerning?
Goldspotted oak borers kill from the inside out. Larvae tunnel under the bark, feeding on the tree’s living layers until large oaks collapse.
“Large oaks can die within a few years after an initial infestation and are highly vulnerable once goldspotted oak borers are established in the region,” Cal Fire explained…