The egg is white and somewhat oval, with a length of roughly 0.8 mm.
The larva is transparent white and is around 2.5 cm in length. In the early stages, the pupa is generally white, but it turns black, like the adult, as it matures
The adult is a black, flattened beetle approximately 10 mm long with a metallic shine. It is around 3 mm wide at the base of the wing cover. Although examples vary, each wing cover typically has three yellowish patches; some may have one to four spots.
The second thoracic segment of the larva, like that of other flatheaded borers, is broader than the head and body segments.
Host plants: Eastern white pine, larch, balsam fir, red, white, and black spruce are all susceptible to attack.
Territory:
Throughout in eastern states:
Damage caused by Hemlock Borer:
Beetles have emerged when tiny oval holes in the bark, about 3 mm in diameter, signal complete development. By removing the bark, larval galleries can be seen on the sapwood’s surface. When borer populations are high, woodpeckers seeking larvae commonly chip away at the outer bark, exposing the reddish surface of the inner bark. Around the foot of trees, piles of bark chips are expected.
Life history and Habits:
Adult beetles are most active from May to August. However, beetle activity can be affected by particular weather and microclimatic circumstances. Peak emergence occurs in June in warmer, more open stands and in July or early August in more excellent, dense stands. Adult beetles may survive for up to two weeks. In most cases, eggs hatch within a week. It might take anything from a year to two years for an egg to mature into an adult. Before pupating, a developed larva must be exposed to cold temperatures. Larvae mature in late summer from eggs set in June, overwinter in a pre-pupal chamber in the outer bark, and pupate in the following spring. Immature larvae overwinter in the inner bark from eggs produced in July or August, mature in the second summer, spend the second winter in the outer bark, and pupate the following spring.
