Adults are dark-colored buprestids with two golden stripes running vertically along the back of their bodies.
Adult emergence occurs in mid-to-late June in Michigan and the neighboring regions.
Females deposit their eggs in tiny clusters in cracks and fissures in the bark. Newly born larvae burrow into the tree’s bark and create feeding tunnels.
When fully grown, larvae are light in color and up to 2.5 cm long; adult beetles fly from April to August, based on where they are located, and each year there is only one generation.
Two spines at the tip of the abdomen, as is typical of all Agrilus larvae. Larvae build meandering tubes that are densely filled with excrement and boring dust.
Host plants:
American chestnut and various oak species, especially white, scarlet northern pin bur, chestnut northern red, post black and live oaks, are hosts of twolined chestnut borer.
Territory:
Twolined chestnut borer is commonplace in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.
Damage caused by Twolined Chestnut Borer:
The two-lined chestnut borer is the most common insect that kills oak trees (Agrilus bilineatus). This bug is drawn to weaker and stressed oaks. Drought, root injury from construction, soil compaction, road salt injury, defoliation by leaf-feeding insects, storm damage, and disease weakness are all factors that predispose plants to two-lined chestnut borer attack.
Life history and Habits:
Two-lined chestnut borers overwinter on afflicted trees as larvae and pupae. Adult beetles emerge from tree trunks through D-shaped holes in late May and remain active until early July.Eggs are placed in fissures in the bark and hatch in one to two weeks. Larvae feed on cambial tissue and sever the vessels in the tree that transport food and water. The two-lined chestnut borer has one generation every year.
