Oak Twig Girdler(Agrilus angelicus)Latin Name: Agrilus angelicus
Common Name: oak twig girdler or Pacific oak twig girdler
Appearance:
Adult beetles are dark coppery brown and are approximately 1/4 inch (7mm) in length—long, thin, and pale eggs.
Larvae are white and legless; with a size of up to 19mm. Larvae have brown mouthparts and are whitish to light yellow.
There are prominent constrictions between each segment of the larval body and more significant components directly below the mouthparts.
Host plants:
California black oak, live canyon oak, Engelmann oak, interior live oak, and valley oak are host plants of oak twig girdler
Territory:
It is found in North America
Damage caused by oak twig girdler:
The larvae of the oak twig girdler gnaw and feed inside tiny branches, killing the shoot terminal and associated leaves. Although the damage is ugly, the oak twig girdler has little effect on tree health.
Life history and Habits:
The adult oak twig girdler begins to emerge around June in coastal areas and May at inland locations. On young twigs, the eggs are placed singly. The hatching white larva nibbles its way inside and builds a 3 to 6-month long linear mine. It then mines spirally and girdles the twig, killing and turning brown the leaves at the mining’s terminal (outward) end. The larva tunnels a foot or more down the branch toward the trunk the following growing season, causing more foliage to perish. After that, it bores back outward in the branch’s core, pupates just beneath the surface, and emerges as an adult. It takes roughly two years to develop from an egg to an adult.
