emerald ash borer
(Agrilus planipennis)
A borer native to Asia which infests ash trees (Fraxinus spp.). It is an alien invasive species in North America and Europe but is not present in Britain. The borer spends most of its life (one or two years) as a larva inside a woody stem, making sinuous galleries as it feeds on the inner bark. The insect was detected in North America in 2002 and has killed virtually all the ash trees it has infested so far. The emerald ash borer was first recorded in the Moscow area in 2007. From there it is spreading west at about 40 km yr-1
This definition is abridged from A – Z of tree terms: A companion to British arboriculture.
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