Virburnum Leaf Beetle (VLB)This week at OARDC we have had a great speaker visit from Cornell. Dr. Gaylord Desurmont has spent much of his career focusing on an invasive species, the viburnum leaf beetle.
A native to Europe and Asia, this beetle is a pest of viburnums (which is a genus of flowering shrubs that are popular as garden or landscape plants).
The VLB lays its eggs in the twigs of the shrubs, and at high densities (which often occurs in North America) they can completely defoliate shrubs. After a couple years of defoliation, the shrub can often die.
VLB causes economic problems due to the effects it has on the popular shrubs. Also, ecologically, the VLB is a threat to native viburnum species and may also decrease the number of berries available to birds and other animals through the winter.
The egg masses leave a distinctive marking on viburnum stems:
A native to Europe and Asia, this beetle is a pest of viburnums (which is a genus of flowering shrubs that are popular as garden or landscape plants).
The VLB lays its eggs in the twigs of the shrubs, and at high densities (which often occurs in North America) they can completely defoliate shrubs. After a couple years of defoliation, the shrub can often die.
VLB causes economic problems due to the effects it has on the popular shrubs. Also, ecologically, the VLB is a threat to native viburnum species and may also decrease the number of berries available to birds and other animals through the winter.
The egg masses leave a distinctive marking on viburnum stems:
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