Apple Twig Borer

Amphicerus bicaudatus · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Bostrichidae

Damages trees, gardens or crops. It damages orchard trees and grape vines.

Adult apple twig borers are long, cylindrical beetles about 6 to 13 mm in length and range in color from reddish-brown to black. The larvae are creamy white with a brown head and mandibles and grow to about 10 mm long. Studies have shown that their populations can show periodic or quasiperiodic fluctuations, sometimes with chaotic elements, when interacting with insecticides, cane removal, and grapevine hosts.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Adults vary in color from reddish brown to black.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Adults measure about 6 to 13 millimeters long. Larvae reach roughly 10 millimeters in length.

Source: Wikipedia

Is it a pest in the house?

It attacks orchard trees and grape vines, causing damage to those crops.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Population studies report periodic and quasiperiodic dynamics, with occasional chaotic patterns, when the beetle interacts with insecticides, cane removal, and grapevine hosts.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Michigan.

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Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Apple Twig Borer photo 2 — Photo: Robert Webster, CC BY-SA

Apple Twig Borer photo 3 — Photo: Greghig Jirheg, CC BY

Apple Twig Borer photo 4 — Photo: Victor Engel, CC BY

Apple Twig Borer photo 5 — Photo: Joshua Ebright, CC BY

Questions people ask

What does the adult apple twig borer look like?

Adults are long, cylindrical beetles about 6 to 13 mm long and can be reddish-brown to black in color.

Source: Wikipedia

What plants does the apple twig borer damage?

It feeds on cultivated orchard trees and grape vines, acting as a pest to those crops.

Source: Wikipedia

How do apple twig borer populations change over time?

Research shows their numbers can follow periodic or quasiperiodic cycles, sometimes showing chaotic fluctuations when interacting with insecticides, cane removal, and grapevine hosts.

Source: Wikipedia