Poplar borer

French common name: Saperde du peuplier
Scientific name: Saperda calcarata Say
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cerambycidae

Distribution

Canada

Damage, symptoms and biology

Swollen bark areas, sap run and piles of frass around the entrance to galleries near the base of the trunk and the roots are signs of the poplar borer’s presence. Bark swelling caused by larval activity is more visible in young poplars. The insect prefers trees with a diameter just over 10 cm, in low density stands.

The insect has a long life cycle, extending over 3 to 4 years. The adults feed on the foliage and the tender bark of twigs. The females lay their eggs in slits they have cut in the bark. After hatching, the larvae begin feeding in the cambium and then penetrate into the heartwood by creating deep galleries. In the spring of the last year of larval development, the larvae change into pupae and then into adults.

Other information

The poplar borer is a species native to North America. It is found throughout the geographic range of poplar in Canada and the United States. The borer usually attacks poplars growing on poor sites.