First report of Agrilus planipennis in Belarus
In the EPPO region Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae – EPPO A2 List) was first reported to occur in the Russian Federation in 2007 (EPPO RS 2007/067) and in Ukraine in 2019 (RS 2019/202).
In Belarus, scientists conducted surveys for A. planipennis between 2018 and 2025 in three administrative regions in north-eastern Belarus (Vitebsk, Lyozna, and Orsha), close to the infested areas of Smolensk and Bryansk in the Russian Federation, as well as in the region of Gomel (south-eastern Belarus) in 2025. Surveys were also conducted along railways and motorways from infested areas in the Russian Federation to main cities in northeastern Belarus (Vetka, Dobrush, Rogachev).
No sign of the pest was observed in north-eastern Belarus.
In June 2025, signs of A. planipennis infestation were observed on 39 Fraxinus pennsylvanica trees and seven Fraxinus excelsior trees in Gomel city (Gomel region). Symptoms included canopy dieback, epicormic shoot sprouting, and D-shaped exit holes on the bark. Of the 46 infested ash trees, six F. pennsylvanica were classified as having recently died, 25 F. pennsylvanica and four F. excelsior were classified as dying, and eight F. pennsylvanica and three F. excelsior were classified as ‘significantly weakened’. These infested trees were found in the Zheleznodorozhniy, Sovetskiy and Centralniy districts of Gomel city close to railway tracks. Zviagintsev et al. (2025) note that no symptomatic ash trees were observed near Gomel city or along motorways leading to the borders of the Russian Federation or Ukraine which suggests that the pest was introduced as a contaminant of railway transport rather than by natural spread from infested areas. Zviagintsev et al. (2025) note that an article reporting the detection of the pest by other scientists in Gomel was published in a newspaper in July 2025 (Usenia & Pomaz, 2025) but that entomological studies carried out in 2013-2023 did not report its presence, suggesting that its introduction is recent.
During the survey, 13 adult beetles were found on ash trees in streets of Gomel city. Adults were observed mating, resting and feeding on leaves of both F. pennsylvanica and F. excelsior. A fourth instar larva was also found in a gallery on one F. pennsylvanica tree. The pest identification was based on morphology.
The NPPO of Belarus recently confirmed to the EPPO Secretariat that A. planipennis was first detected in August 2025 in Gomel. Official phytosanitary measures have been implemented and include a delimiting survey and eradication measures.
The pest status of Agrilus planipennis in Belarus is officially declared as: Present, not widely distributed (outbreaks of pest in Gomel) and under official control.
Sources
NPPO of Belarus (2025-09).
Usenia V, Pomaz G (2025-07-15) Yasenevaya izumrudnaya zlatka: karantinnyy vreditel’ teper’ v Belarusi [Emerald ash borer: a quarantine pest now in Belarus]. Navuka, 29(3068), p. 5 (In Russian).
Zviagintsev VB, Kirichenko NI, Chernik MI, Seraya LG, Baranchikov YN (2025) The Emerald ash borer Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) invaded Belarus. Acta Biologica Sibirica 11, 847-861. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16744135