How to Get Rid of Ponderous Borers
Most lawns, flowerbeds, gardens and living trees have their fair share of pests that can damage the growth and lead to the death of the plants. The ponderous borer does not fall into this category of insects since the borers eat dead wood. These bugs are one of the largest beetles that live in the United States. Ergates spiculatus is the scientific name for the ponderous borer beatle, also commonly called Western pine sawyers. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Confirm the presence of ponderous borer beetles in your landscape. Look for them among dead trees and broken limbs. Adult beetles grow about 2 inches long, while the young larvae reach an average size of 3 inches in length. The adult beetles have long dark bodies with reddish-brown wings. Their ridged antennae are almost as long as their bodies.
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Peel off a layer of bark to examine the underlying wood. Look for deep furrows and tunnels inside the branches and trunks of dead trees. Small tunnels are usually symptoms of a different variety of beetle or of a termite infestation.
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Prune off all dead branches from your trees. Unlike some varieties of boring beetles, the ponderous borer feeds only upon dead wood, such as broken limbs, fallen trees and harvested firewood. Cut the branches that contain dead growth slightly above the areas of damage, making your cuts in the healthy portions of growth to ensure complete removal. Haul off any broken branches, chipped bark or fallen limbs from below your trees. Keeping the area free of dead vegetation will help eliminate ponderous borers and minimize the risk of disease.
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Treat your trees with insecticide before ponderous borers appear. Although pesticides have little effect in removing populations of existing ponderous borer beetles in dead trees and limbs, using a pesticide that contains permethrin, bifenthrin or carbaryl may help reduce the likelihood of new infestations in recently dead trees. Follow the application instructions for applying the pesticide to your trees. Select a calm, dry day to avoid wind and water disbursement.
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Cover your firewood with a sturdy piece of plastic sheeting. Covering new firewood will help minimize the possibility of adult beetles laying their eggs in the dead wood. Toss out any firewood that shows evidence of beetle tunneling.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider leaving the borer beetles alone. Since they do not damage living trees, there is no risk to the health of nearby landscaping plants or healthy hedgerows and windbreaks. Adult beetles lay their eggs in small holes in the rotting bark. When the larvae hatch out, the grubs begin feeding on the soft wood, creating large holes and long tunnels. Their tunneling habit helps to decompose dead portions of branches, trunks and bark.
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