The emerald ash borer,
Agrilus planipennis, is a serious invasive pest of North American ash (
Fraxinus) trees. In captivity, mating is initiated by beetles at least 10 days old, and appears to be based simply on random contact
with a member of the opposite sex. In the field, male
A. planipennis search the tree during flight, and attempt to copulate with dead beetles of both sexes pinned to leaves, after descending
rapidly straight down onto the pinned beetles from a height of from 30 to 100 cm. All evidence suggests that males find potential
mates using visual cues. Equal numbers of feral males approach all ‘dummy’ beetles; however, considerably more time is spent
attempting copulation with dead females rather than males, suggesting a contact chemical cue. Sticky traps prepared from dead,
pinned EAB capture crawling insects as well as male
A. planipennis, at a rate similar to that at which small purple sticky traps of similar overall area capture crawling insects and both sexes
of feral EAB.
Keyword
Agrilus planipennis
- emerald ash borer - trapping - invasive pest - Buprestidae -
Fraxinus