Hobbies And Interests
Beetles
Several species of beetles exist that attack injured or stressed trees, including firewood, generally referred to as "borers" or bark beetles. They excavate tunnels in the bark or into the tree itself, lay their eggs and allow their larvae to further create destruction while growing and burrowing through the bark and wood. When they reach adulthood, they bore through the bark to emerge and repeat the process. Once they run through a ready source of dead wood, they will then attack the living, healthier trees out of necessity.
Moths
Not every moth is a villainous tree-borer, but some do exist. They are considered especially damaging pests to ash and lilac trees, peach trees and shade trees. Other species include the raspberry crown borer, viburnum borer, pinyon borer, carpenterworms, Zimmerman pine moth and currant borer. The adults tend to look like wasps, and fly during the daytime hours; however, they are moths and do not have stingers. It is mostly the larvae of the insect that do the worst damage and bore through the bark and wood of trees for up to a year before they become adults.
Ants
Contrary to appearances, most ants that collect around damaged trees are not boring into it. Instead, they are capitalizing on the borers that have already colonized the tree. Part of the tree's defenses against boring insects is to release sap and "drown" the infestation before it gets out of hand. Ants love this resin and collect it to use in their nests below the ground. There is one exception to this: the carpenter ant. It will bore into dead trees and stumps, or even houses should the need arise, and are considered pests.
Wood Wasp
The horntail or wood wasp is a sawfly (a non-stinging wasp) that uses trees the same way as beetles and moths. Unlike the moth or beetle, however, these insects take two or even three years to develop in their dead or highly damaged burrows before emerging. Depending on the species, they attack either hardwoods or conifers. Though some types prefer the leaves or the roots of plants to house and incubate the next generation, the ovipositor on the end of the female's abdomen is tailor-made for burrowing beneath the bark of trees.