Secondary-pest
Guides
Agrilus bilineatus
two-lined chestnut borer, twolined chestnut borer
Agrilus bilineatus is a metallic wood-boring beetle native to eastern North America that attacks oak trees (Quercus spp.) and chestnut (Castanea spp.). Unlike most Agrilus species that develop in dead twigs and branches, it is a trunk borer of living trees and represents a significant forest pest. Adults emerge from June through September with peak activity in late June to July. The species has been introduced to Turkey, where it poses an emerging threat to European oak and chestnut species.
Agrilus macer
Large Hackberry Agrilus
Agrilus macer is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, primarily associated with sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) in the southeastern United States. The species is considered a secondary pest that attacks dying or declining host trees at high densities, with egg masses deposited on trunks, branches, and exposed roots. Despite intensive colonization of weakened hosts, it does not appear to transmit harmful fungal pathogens or act as a primary cause of tree mortality.
Agrilus pseudocoryli
hazel stem borer
Agrilus pseudocoryli is a metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae, commonly known as the hazel stem borer. It develops within stems of hazelnut plants (Corylus spp.), where larval tunneling causes dieback. The species has been documented as a pest of hybrid hazelnut cultivars in the Great Lakes region, with damage severity varying by cultivar. Adult activity occurs from early June to mid-July.
Gnathotrichus materiarius
American utilizable wood bark beetle
Gnathotrichus materiarius is an ambrosia beetle native to North America that has been introduced to Europe, where it was first detected in France in 1933. It excavates galleries in coniferous sapwood and maintains an obligate symbiosis with the fungus Endomycopsis fasciculata, which adults inoculate into wood and which serves as the primary food source for both larvae and adults. In Central Europe, it completes two generations per year, with adult flight beginning in early May and F2 generation adults overwintering in wood. Despite nearly a century of presence in Europe and its association with economically important conifers including Picea and Pinus, it has not caused significant damage, functioning primarily as a secondary pest of decaying or previously infested trees.
Oryzaephilus surinamensis
Sawtoothed grain beetle, Malt beetle
Oryzaephilus surinamensis is a cosmopolitan stored product pest known for the distinctive sawtooth-like projections on its prothorax. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758 from specimens received from Suriname, though it is not native to that region. It is flightless and frequently confused with the closely related merchant grain beetle (O. mercator), from which it differs in having smaller eyes and a broader, more triangular head. The beetle is a secondary pest that primarily attacks damaged grain and grain products, with both larvae and adults contributing to economic losses through feeding and contamination.
Pissodes nemorensis
Deodar weevil, Eastern pine weevil
Pissodes nemorensis is a univoltine true weevil in the family Curculionidae, commonly known as the deodar weevil or eastern pine weevil. It is a significant forest pest in North America, particularly in the southeastern United States, where adults and larvae feed on phloem of coniferous trees. The species acts as a vector for pitch canker fungus (Fusarium moniliforme var. subglutinans) and is associated with blue stain fungi including Leptographium procerum and Ophiostoma piceae. Seasonal activity varies geographically: southern populations are primarily active in autumn and winter, while northern populations are active in spring.
Saperda lateralis
Red-edged Saperda
Saperda lateralis is a longhorned beetle in the family Cerambycidae, first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. It is broadly distributed across eastern North America, ranging from Canada through the eastern United States. The species is associated with several tree hosts, particularly maples, and is known to attack stressed or declining trees. A distinctive subspecies, S. lateralis rileyi, was described in 2010 from the lower Mississippi Delta region based on consistent morphological differences and partial geographic separation from nominate populations.
Synanthedon pini
pitch mass borer, Pitch Mass Borer Moth
Synanthedon pini, commonly known as the pitch mass borer, is a clearwing moth in the family Sesiidae. It is found in eastern North America, where it develops in the wood of pine and spruce trees. The larvae create pitch-filled tunnels in the inner bark and sapwood, causing defects in lumber but not killing host trees. Adults are active in mid-summer and have distinctive mostly clear wings.
Tomicus piniperda
common pine shoot beetle, Eurasian pine shoot beetle
Tomicus piniperda is a bark beetle native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and northern Asia, and an invasive species in North America. It is one of the most destructive shoot-feeding beetles in northern Europe, causing economic damage to pine forestry through two distinct feeding behaviors: breeding in stressed or dead pine trunks and feeding on the pith of healthy young pine shoots. The beetle has a single generation per year and does not use pheromones for mate location, instead relying on host plant volatiles. It was first detected in North America in 1992 near Cleveland, Ohio, and has since spread to multiple U.S. states and Canadian provinces, triggering federal quarantines.
Zaprionus
Fig Flies
Zaprionus is a genus of fruit flies in the family Drosophilidae, distinguished by conspicuous white longitudinal stripes across the head and thorax. The genus is divided into two subgenera based on stripe number: Zaprionus (even number of stripes) and Anaprionus (odd number of stripes). Species occur primarily in Africa and southern Asia, with several species showing invasive expansion. The genus is taxonomically nested within the paraphyletic genus Drosophila.
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