Larvae are known as flatheaded borers. They feed just under the bark, making meandering mines through the cambium. Complete development usually takes one year. Metallic wood borers develop only in dead wood or in drought-stressed trees. However, problems with these Insects frequently occur in birch and occasionally in juniper and apple.
Few weevils are wood borers.
The best known is the poplar and willow borer. In Colorado, this insect commonly infests willow, causing gnarled distortions and holes in lower stems and branches. The white pine weevil also is a problem in some areas, where it kills and curls the top leader of spruce and white pine. Adult male peach tree borer. Many of these moths are similar in appearance to wasps, although they do not sting.