''Agrilus hyperici'', the St. John's wort root borer, is a species of

jewel beetle Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheaded borers. The family is among the largest of the beetles, with some ...

. It is used as an agent of

biological pest control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...

against common St. John's wort (''Hypericum perforatum'') in areas where it is a

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

.Biocontrol Info Sheet
/ref>Coombs, E. M., et al., Eds. (2004). ''Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the United States''. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 324.

Description

The adult beetle is narrow and elongated, reddish-brown in color and about 5 millimeters in length.

Biology

The female deposits eggs low on the stem of the St. John's wort plant in July and August. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

emerges from the egg and makes its way to the roots where it feeds on root tissue for the following year. Often the larvae consume nearly all the roots on a plant and then

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

te inside the remnants. Few plants survive attack by this species. The beetle is known to attack the similar plant

goldwire ''Hypericum concinnum'' is a species of flowering plant known as gold-wire or goldwire. It is in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is the only species in the section ''Hypericum'' sect. ''Concinna''. ''Hypericum concinnum'' is a smal ...

(''Hypericum concinnum'') in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, but it does not appear to have a destructive impact on this species.

Distribution and habitat

This beetle is native to Europe. Its association with ''Hypericum perforatum'' has been known for a long time and it was first introduced to the United States for the purposes of biocontrol in 1950, in California. It is now established in much of the northwestern United States, especially in mountainous areas, and in Australia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4469837 hyperici Woodboring beetles Insects used for control of invasive plants Biological pest control beetles Beetles of Europe