Flatheaded appletree borer

Flatheaded appletree borer, Family of Buprestidae very common borer found in the eastern region of the united states New york, New Jersey, Connecticut.

Flatheaded appletree borer adult borer is flat, dark metallic brown and about 1/2 inch long. Full grown larvae can be 1 1/4 inch in length. The eggs are yellow and disk-like. The adult body is very blunt at the head and tapers to a rounded point at the posterior end. The larvae are yellow to yellowish white, legless, slender grubs with large flat heads.

Flatheaded appletree borer adult feeding activity typically causes little damage, though there have been reports of trees being completely defoliated by Flatheaded appletree borer when beetle population densities are unusually high. Adult beetles can also gnaw on woody tissues in branch crotches, around bud scars and at the base of leaf petioles.

Life Cycle: Flatheaded appletree borer Adults typically begin emerging in May and egg-laying can continue from June to September. Hence, larvae of varying sizes may be found throughout the summer. Adults are sun-loving insects and can be found in greatest numbers on the sunny sides of trees or logs. Eggs typically are deposited under bark scales or in bark crevices on the south and west sides of the main trunk and larger branches.

larvae bore into the bark and feed on the phloem and outer sapwood. Tunnels in trees often can be 3 inches long or more. As the larva feeds, it fills the tunnel with a powdery frass. Mature larvae are white, about 1 inch long, and slender, except for a broad, flat enlargement of the thoracic segments behind the head. During the fall the larva will bore deeper into the wood, where it will spend the winter and pupate the following spring. There is one generation per year.

Damage: Flatheaded appletree borer is considered to be the species of boring beetle most destructive to fruit trees in New York. Flatheaded appletree borer is mainly in abandoned, wild or unsprayed plantings. Trees of all sizes are attacked, but those from 3 – 10 years old suffer the most

Larval tunneling in the trunk and limbs results in broken and dead limbs, weakened trees, excessive sprout production, and even death of the tree.Low vigor trees, damaged trees, and trees under environmental, drought, or nutritional stress are most likely to be infested. Trees of less than six inches diameter are most often attacked, while those larger than eight inches diameter are generally safe from attacks.

Management: Avoid leaving tree wrap on for more than a season. Larvae may be found injuring the bark underneath tree wrap that has been left on for extended periods of time. If injury is not extensive, damaged areas of bark can be cut back to healthy tissue and larvae can be removed. Keep newly planted trees and shrubs well watered and mulched, as stressed plants are more prone to injury by this insect. Adults are stouter than either two-lined chestnut borers or bronze birch borers.

Control: Keep trees in full vigor by cultivating and fertilizing where necessary. shading of the trunks of young trees also can help keep adults away. However, once the tree becomes infested, some control may be achieved by carefully removing the larvae with a knife and promptly painting the wound. adult emergence and egg-laying can occur over a long period of time, monthly insecticide applications may be needed over the course of the summer.

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