Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)
Latin Name: Agrilus planipennis
Common Name: Emerald Ash Borer
Appearance:
Adult emerald ash borer insects have flat heads, huge black eyes, and dark metallic-green bodies that are bullet-shaped. They have a length of 12 mm and a width of 3 mm.
The larvae of the emerald ash borer have a cream-colored body with a flat, wide, segmented shape. The larvae bore through the bark of ash trees and fed beneath the bark for several weeks, creating distinctive S-shaped tunnels.
Pupation takes place in the spring. Trees normally start to die back from the top of the canopy, and symptoms proceed downward, eventually leading to the tree’s death, which occurs in 2–4 years.
Territory:
Agrilus planipennis, sometimes known as the emerald ash borer, is an invasive borer native to northeast Asia that poses a danger to North American ash trees.
Damage caused by Emerald Ash Borer:
Defoliation of the trees, as well as damage to the bark and underlying tissues caused by the larvae’s digging activities, might cause harm. Trees harmed by the emerald ash borer eventually die. The infestation also reduces the marketability of timber (because of dense and large galleries made by the larger larvae in the wood). EAB has the ability to destroy trees of varied sizes and conditions (small trees e.g. trunk of 5 cm diameter to big mature trees). Tree mortality normally happens three years after the initial assault, while more severe infestations can kill trees in as little as one or two years. Ash is a beautiful, high-quality wood that is used to make a number of items, including furniture. Ash trees come in a variety of types and play a significant role in many broadleaf plant communities.
Life history and Habits:
Females lay eggs 2 weeks after emergence. Eggs are initially light-yellow, turning to brownish-yellow before hatching. Eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks, and the tiny larvae bore through the bark and into the cambium and phloem. The creamy white larvae are 1–1.25 in. (2.5-3.2 cm) long with flat, broad, segmented bodies. Adults begin emerging in mid-June leaving 0.1–0.2 in. (0.25-0.5 cm) “D” shaped emergence holes. The life cycle in Michigan takes between 1-2 years depending on the climate. Larvae feed on phloem and make serpentine galleries that girdle and kill trees when the larval densities are high. Mature larvae tunnel into sap wood to pupate. In northern areas a single generation may require two years, but in mid-Atlantic states a generation can be completed each year.
