apple tree borer


noun

Also called flatheaded apple tree borer. the larva of a metallic wood-boring beetle, Chrysobothris femorata, that bores into the wood of apple and other fruit trees.
Also called roundheaded apple tree borer. the larva of a long-horned beetle, Saperda candida, that bores into the wood of apple and other fruit trees.

Origin of apple tree borer

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40