Sawdust, wood chips, and pitch around the plant are usually present when which pest is present?

• A. Wood Borers
• B. Root-Knot Nematodes
• C. Armyworms
• D. Aphids

Answer: (A)

When you see sawdust-like frass, wood chips, and pitch oozing around a plant, the signs point to wood-boring beetles. The larvae live inside wood or under the bark and chew as they develop, pushing out fine powdery material (frass) and causing the plant to exude resin or pitch as a defense. This combination is typical of borers and is not produced by insects that attack roots or foliage.

Root-knot nematodes affect roots underground and cause galls or poor growth, not above-ground wood debris. Armyworms and aphids damage leaves and stems, leading to leaf chew, bare windows of foliage, or honeydew and sooty mold, but they don’t create sawdust, wood chips, or pitch around the plant.