Subject: 3 inch brown beetle Sonoma County
Location: Geyserville, Sonoma County CA
June 5, 2016 10:43 pm
This big beetle banged against our window 6/5/2016 and then sat quietly at the bottom of the sill. I caught it in a small vase without a fight, checked it out and let it go. What is it? It was really cool! Its claws clicked against the glass I caught it in and it turned itself into its back. It had a had time turning itself back over- I don’t think it was defense.
Signature: Jeff
California Root Borer
Hi Jeff,
This is a California Root Borer, and we just posted our first sighting of the year two days ago.
California Root Borer
Thanks! Makes perfect sense surrounded by grapes and deciduous trees.
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Location: Geyserville, Sonoma County, California 
We just found a dead California Root Borer in our driveway this morning in the Santa Cruz Mountains off Old Santa Cruz Hwy. about 7 miles from Los Gatos. We have a lot of coast live oaks, madrone, Douglas fir, and redwoods in this area.