Flathead Borers in Nursery and Orchards
Room B113Speaker: Melissa Scherr, Ph.D., Research Associate, Nursery Crops, Oregon State University Extension
Flathead borers can be serious pests of nursery trees and tree nut and fruit crops in the Pacific Northwest. In particular, two flathead borers in the genus Chrysobothris — C. femorata (flatheaded apple tree borer) and C. mali (Pacific flatheaded borer) — contribute damage in many different deciduous trees and shrubs grown commercially, weakening or even killing trees by girdling the trunk or branches. A third species, C. nixa, attacks cedar and juniper nursery trees. The flatheaded apple tree borer is a common pest in the Eastern and Central United States, while the Pacific flatheaded borer and flatheaded cedar borer are only found west of the Rockies. The Pacific Northwest region is home to all three species.