Flatheaded Borer
Contact: Eric Day, Manager, Insect Identification Laboratory
August 1996
Flatheaded Borer
Size
Variable
Color
Metallic-colored
Description
Beetles in the family Buprestidae, or flatheaded borers, are beautifully marked, metallic-colored beetles, varying greatly in
size but usually somewhat flattened and boat-shaped. The wood-
boring larvae are characterized by a hammer-headed shape produced
by a flattened enlargement of the body region behind the head. Flatheaded borers, adults and larvae.
The characteristics of flatheaded borer damage are: medium sized
(1/4 - 1/2 inch), oval holes in the wood; flattened tunnels in
the sapwood of softwoods and hardwoods; powdery, pale-colored
sawdust in tunnels.
Habitat
Buprestis lineata is a common flatheaded borer in the eastern and
southeastern United States. It has been found associated with
loblolly pine, scrub, longleaf pine, pitch pine, and white pine.
It has been found causing damage to log houses in many parts of
the southeast and middle Atlantic states. The larvae feed during
the summer and early fall,
Life Cycle
Adult females lay eggs singly or in groups on the bark or in
crevices in the bark or wood. The young borers (larvae) mine the
inner bark or wood. The galleries of the larvae are flattened,
usually oval in cross section, and winding, gradually enlarging
as the larva increases in size. These larval mines are always
tightly packed with fine sawdust arranged in arc-like layers.
The adult beetles on emerging through the bark or the wood leave
a characteristic oval or elliptical exit hole.
The life cycle may be completed in part of one season or extend
to two years. Some forms complete their development in the
summer, transform to adults, and do not emerge until the
following spring.
Type of Damage
The flatheaded borers are of considerable importance in the
forest. The greatest damage results from the larvae boring into
the sapwood of recently felled logs. The larvae will attack and
feed on a variety of softwoods and hardwoods.
Control
Flatheaded borers are rarely a problem in Virginia, and
infestations tend to be small and localized. If control is
desired, the best method is to spot treat the local infestations.
This can be done by applying insecticides to the surface of the
wood to prevent reinfestation, and perhaps kill larvae that feed
close to the surface and contact the chemical just below the
surface.