About Japanese cedar longhorn beetle
This beetle has been in New England, North Carolina, and the west coast for some time. It was found in Maryland in 2011. It is a relatively small longhorned beetle (~3/8in). Females are reddish-brown and males are black with reddish “shoulders.” Adults emerge from mid-April through May. Hosts include arborvitae, Cryptomeria, false cypress, Leyland cypress, and eastern redcedar (North Carolina). Other listed hosts include Chamaecyparis, Thujopsis, Juniper, Monterey cypress, firs, and pine. Damage appears as dead branches in sizes as small as a pencil to main trunks. The damage resembles winter dieback, so investigate further if evergreens have dead-looking limbs coming out of winter that do not green up by spring. Look carefully for oval exit holes about 4mm x 2mm on the damaged limbs. Peel back the bark and look for tunnels.
There is no control listed for this pest other than to prune out and destroy infested plant material.
Typical larval damage on northern white cedar. Photo: Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Bugwood.org
Additional resource
Japanese Cedar Longhorn Beetle | Invasive.org