Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is a beetle that originates from East Asia. Upon invasion to North America in the early 2000s, it killed untold millions of ash trees. In European Russia, EAB was first detected in Moscow in 2003 and proved to have the potential to also kill native European ash (Fraxinus excelsior). The beetle has since spread in all geographic directions, establishing itself in eastern Ukraine by 2019 and possessing potential for further westward spread towards the EU. Apart from the approaching EAB, F. excelsior is currently threatened by the dieback disease (ADB) caused by the invasive ascomycete fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. The infestation by EAB combined with ADB infection is expected to be more lethal than either of them alone, yet the potential consequences are unknown. To date, eastern Ukraine represents the geographic area in which both invasions overlap, thus providing the opportunity for related investigations. The aims of the study were to investigate: (i) the EAB expansion range in Ukraine, (ii) the relative susceptibility of F. excelsior and American ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) to EAB and ADB, and (iii) the combined effect/impact on ash condition imposed by both the pest and disease in the area subjected to the invasion. The results have demonstrated that (i) the invasion of EAB is currently expanding both in terms of newly infested trees and invaded geographic area; (ii) F. excelsior is more resistant to EAB than F. pennsylvanica, while F. excelsior is more susceptible to ADB than F. pennsylvanica; and (iii) the infection by ADB is likely to predispose F. excelsior to the infestation by EAB. It was concluded that inventory and mapping of surviving F. excelsior, affected by both ADB and EAB, is necessary to acquire genetic resources for the work on strategic, long-term restoration of F. excelsior in devastated areas, thereby tackling a possible invasion of EAB to the EU.

The annotated list of Cossidae of Afghanistan consists of 44 species in 17 genera from the four subfamilies Catoptinae, Cossinae, Zeuzerinae, and Mehariinae. Three new species are described: Cossulus habibae Yakovlev, Pljustch, Skrylnik & Pak, sp. nov., Semagystia bamiani Yakovlev, Pljustch, Skrylnik & Pak, sp. nov., Phragmacossia bandeamiri Yakovlev, Pljustch, Skrylnik & Pak, sp. nov.; all from Band-e-Amir National Park in Bamian Province. Three species (Dervishiya cadambae (Moore, 1865), Semagystia cossoides (Graeser, 1892), Phragmacossia territa (Staudinger, 1879)) are reported for the first time from Afghanistan. A brief biogeographical analysis of the Cossidae of Afghanistan is given.

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is a phloem-boring beetle, native to East Asia that has become a serious invasive pest of ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees in North America and European Russia since the early 2000s. In 2019, EAB was detected in Ukraine. It had spread over 300 km from the entry point over two years and killed hundreds of Fraxinus excelsior and F. pennsylvanica trees. EAB poses a threat to the ash forests of neighboring European countries, which have already been damaged by the invasive fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. The purpose of this research was (i) to reveal the traits of EAB and the climatic variables that affect its survival; (ii) to predict the EAB expansion range in Ukraine and westward; and (iii) to compare the most significant bioclimatic variables in the native, invasive ranges of EAB, as well as outside these ranges. The results demonstrated the following: (i) in all ranges, EAB has adapted to the seasonal temperature variations; (ii) the MaxEnt model predicted the potential distribution of EAB with high accuracy (AUC = 0.988); the predicted area of EAB invasion covered 87%, 48%, and 32% in Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions, respectively; and (iii) the ranges of climatic variables in EAB-inhabited regions demonstrated the high ecological plasticity of this pest. However, the predictions could be improved by considering forest structure, as well as the localization of roads.

The Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, 1888 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), an invasive phloem-boring beetle, was first detected in the Luhansk Region of Ukraine in 2019. Subsequently, it rapidly expanded its presence to encompass a significant portion of the Kharkiv region and the parks of Kyiv. Previous research has established that the climatic conditions in Luhansk and its neighboring regions are conducive to the EAB, and the absence of a host plant (Fraxinus sp.) does not act as a deterrent to the pest’s expansion in Ukraine. Recognizing the urgency of identifying infested trees, our current research aimed to identify the most attractive EAB forest subcompartments based on forest site conditions and stand structure. Utilizing the MaxEnt model, we achieved an average performance in predicting the potential distribution of the EAB (AUC = 0.842). The six most impactful variables, contributing to 88.2% of the model, include “age of trees, years”, “area of forest subcompartment, ha”, “mean height of trees, m”, “proportion of Fraxinus excelsior in the stand composition, %”, “hygrotope index (humidity level), point”, and “number of neighboring-non-forest subcompartments”. Most likely, EAB occurrence is expected in the driest forest site conditions; the well-lit and warmed-up parts of stands, in particular; small subcompartments surrounded by non-forest landscapes; and forest shelter belts near roads and fields. However, the data obtained can be considered preliminary. To enhance the accuracy of our forecasting, it may be imperative to consider data on road localization, along which the pest can spread passively, as well as dominant wind speed.

Poplars (Populus spp.) are of significant ecological and economic importance. Long-term breeding efforts were aimed mainly at obtaining fast-growing and productive plants and less considered resistance to pests. This study aimed to identify patterns of susceptibility or resistance to Saperda carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) infestation among clones of Populus hybrids and pure species, focusing on the influence of their placement, seasonal development, stem diameter, height increment, and crossing combinations. Among 34 clones of poplar species and hybrids of Ukrainian and foreign selection, in 2019–2023 S. carcharias infested 14 clones every year. Six clones (‘Ivantiivska’, ‘Kytaiska × pyramidalna’, ‘Volosystoplidna’, ‘Novoberlinska-3’, ‘Robusta’, and ‘Lada’) were the most susceptible to the infestation by S. carcharias. The clones of all presented poplar sections and their crossing combinations, except the Tacamahaca and Leucoides cross, were infested. Greater height increment promoted the infestation by S. carcharias. Ambiguous results were obtained regarding the susceptibility of Populus hybrids compared to pure species to S. carcharias infestations. Considering infestation by S. carcharias and plant placement in the site, it can be concluded that the clones ‘Sakrau45-51’, ‘Deltopodibna’, ‘Rosijska’, ‘Slava Ukrayiny’, ‘Lubenska’, ‘Rohanska’, and ‘Nocturne’ are resistant to this pest. Selecting native species clones or creating mixed clone plantations could enhance the resilience of poplar plantations to pest threats.

The emerald ash borer (EAB) was found in Kharkiv (Ukraine) in 2022, infesting ash trees in the permanent focus of the ash black sawfly. We aimed to recognize the characteristics of trees that attract EAB. Ash tree defoliation, dieback, epicormic shoots, health condition class, and ash bark beetle infestation were analyzed with EAB presence or absence. The EAB preferred to infest the trees with higher defoliation, epicormic shoots, and ash bark beetle infestation more than in the trees without these symptoms. Despite the deterioration in the health of most trees in the EAB outbreak, some specimens have maintained and even improved their health. This confirms the possibility of selecting resistant trees with subsequent reproduction.