A certain class of
insects makes their living by boring into the wood
of trees. Usually, the adult which is a beetle
looking critter lands on the bark, drills a small
hole and deposits its eggs. When the egg hatches,
the larval form (sometimes called a grub) burrows
into the wood eating all the way. At some point, it
begins to turn into the adult form, drills its way
to the surface of the bark and flies away to lay
eggs on another tree.
The key symptoms to
borer
insects would be varying sized holes coming
through the bark. When the tree is cut down, you may
see tunnels throughout the wood. The actual species
of borer can often be identified based on the
species of tree, the size or the shape of the
emergence hole.
With a few notable
exceptions, most borers fall into that group of
insects that help nature recycle trees. Usually,
they are only interested in old, declining trees.
The exceptions would include such exotic pests as
the
Emerald ash borer or the
Asian
longhorn beetle which also attack young, healthy
trees.
