[2] This beetle is widely known for the damage it causes to pecan plantations, but also to lumber trees such as hickory, oak, poplar and elm.

In late summer and fall, the adult female girdles small branches, 1⁄4-to-1⁄2-inch (6.4 to 12.7 mm) diameter, with its mandibles, cutting through the bark and into the wood.

The female lays her eggs singularly in a separate cut into the wood, above the girdled section.

Shortly after the twig is girdled and inserted with eggs, it will die and fall from the tree to the ground.

Twig girdlers create a difficult infestation in plantations, as they occur late in the season close to nut harvesting.