Boxelder Twig Borer – Proteotera willingana

 Boxelder Twig Borer (Proteotera willingana)

Latin Name: Proteotera willingana

Common Name: Boxelder Twig Borer

Appearance:

Eggs:

Eggs are round to elliptical, depending on their proximity to the leaf vein or midrib, and have flange like borders. Translucent, pearly white and ranging in length from 0.46 to 0.58 mm and width from 0.33 to 0.50 mm

Larva:

Larvae are yellowish-white with a light brown head and eyespots, which become greenish-yellow with a dark brown head later on. Older larvae are pale yellow with brown to blackheads and prominent cuticular regions with setae above and below the abdomen spiracles. The mature larvae are 6 to 13 mm in length.

Adults:

Small gray-mottled moth with 15 to 25 mm wingspan; a female is somewhat more prominent than a male. Streaks, rings, and yellowish-tan to black scales superimposed over a white to pale brown fuscous ground hue.

Pupa:

Pupae are reddish-brown in color and range from 7 to 11 mm.

Host plants:

Maple with Boxelder The main, and maybe only, the host is Boxelder. Other maples, however, have been suggested as potential hosts.

Territory:

It is found in southern Canada and the eastern United States and throughout the Great Plains in the west.

Damages caused by Boxelder Twig Borer:

The boxelder borer is found mainly in Canada and the United States. It attacks trees of any age, from first-year seedlings to mature trees in urban and rural plantings. Infested twigs expand unnaturally in response to feeding activity, generating spindle-shaped, gall-like swellings. Burrows can become quite extensive, with tunnels measuring 25 mm or longer. Heavy outbreaks destroy most tip development on twigs and branches, stunting old trees.

Description about Beneficial garden insects:

Some bugs are beneficial to the garden. These beautiful guys are known as “beneficial insects,” and they may be helpful to your garden by devouring pest insects that would otherwise consume your plants. Here’s a rundown of some of the most popular beneficial insects and how to get them into your garden.

Some beneficial garden insects are given:

Ladybirds (Coleoptera)

Lacewings (Neuroptera)

Hoverflies (Diptera)Parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera)

Solitary bees (Hymenoptera)

Ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Life history and Habits:

Females begin depositing eggs shortly after reaching adulthood and can produce up to 100 eggs each day, typically in the evening. Single eggs are laid on the undersides of leaves, generally near midribs or broad veins. The egg stage can last anywhere from 9 to 14 days, with an average of 11 days. Early July to early August is when the eggs hatch. Newly hatched larvae begin eating on the lower leaf surfaces, commonly along the veins or midribs Most larvae will have completed this stage in roughly 22 days by molting to the fourth instar. Within the dormant leaf buds, the winter is spent in silken cocoons. Larvae bore into the new stem development of twigs and terminals in April and May. During this stage, each larva may kill two or three buds. They fall to the ground in May or June and create silk and leaf duff pupation cells in the humus layer of the soil. The life cycle is one year.