Bronze Birch Borer Management - Bronze Birch Borers

Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet
Entomology
1991 Kenny Road
Columbus, Ohio 43210

HYG-2018-95

David J. Shetlar
The bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius Gory, is a small slender beetle that is slightly less than 1/2-inch in length. Its larva is one of the most devastating pests of white-barked birches in Ohio. The larval stage feeds just under the bark of birch trees. When this larval feeding girdles a branch or tree, the result is sudden wilting and death.

This native North American insects occurs on birch from Newfoundland to British Columbia and south to West Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, Idaho and Oregon.

Plants Attacked

The larvae have been recovered from most birch species but European white birch (Betula pendula), water birch (B. occidentalis), paper or canoe birch (B. papyrifera), and yellow birch (B. alleghaniensis) seem to be the most preferred hosts.

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Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.

TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868