Professor and Department chair Auburn University Auburn, Alabama
Flatheaded borers in the Chrysobothris femorata species complex are important pests of tree crops throughout North America. These taxonomically unresolved borers are common pests of hardwood trees and shrubs grown in nurseries. The larval stages grow and feed internally on their hosts, which leaves behind tunnels called galleries. Larval damage is difficult to manage, especially when it is virtually undetectable until adults emerge from their hosts. Furthermore, management would benefit from knowledge of specific visual and/or olfactory cues involved in host location and choice. Although borers belonging to the C. femorata complex are well established in Alabama, their geographical distributions and flight periods are not well documented. The objectives of this study address the distribution and phenology of species in Alabama, and investigate color and silhouette size as a factor in host location. The flight activity was monitored using purple panel traps at three locations (Alpine, Auburn, Mobile) in 2021 and 2022. Purple pipes representing 6 trunk size classes were placed at one field site from June to October 2022 to determine the response. Trapping in 2021 yielded only 1 beetle from all sites. In 2022, we collected 8 species of Chrysobothris at traps statewide, most of which were recorded in Mobile from May to July. Due to low overall collections across pole sizes, no clear trends were observed. This research continuing into 2023 will be useful for informing producers as well as fill in gaps in the current literature regarding the C. femorata complex.
