Bronze birch borer
Encyclopedia
The bronze birch borer Agrilus anxius is a wood-boring Buprestid beetle
native to North America
, more numerous in warmer parts of the continent and rare in the north. It is a serious pest on birch
trees (Betula), frequently killing them. The River Birch
Betula nigra is the most resistant species, other American birches less so, while the Europe
an and Asia
n birches have no resistance to it at all and are effectively impossible to grow in the eastern United States
as a result.
It is closely related to the emerald ash borer
.
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, more numerous in warmer parts of the continent and rare in the north. It is a serious pest on birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
trees (Betula), frequently killing them. The River Birch
River Birch
Betula nigra is a species of birch native to the eastern United States from New Hampshire west to southern Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and east Texas...
Betula nigra is the most resistant species, other American birches less so, while the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n birches have no resistance to it at all and are effectively impossible to grow in the eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a result.
It is closely related to the emerald ash borer
Emerald ash borer
The emerald ash borer is a green beetle native to Asia.In North America the borer is an invasive species, highly destructive to ash trees in its introduced range. The potential damage of this insect rivals that of Chestnut blight and Dutch Elm Disease...
.