Which invasive invertebrate ate through hurricane-damaged seawalls made of bagasse?

Which invasive invertebrate ate through hurricane-damaged seawalls made of bagasse?

• A. Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis)
• B. Formosan subterranean termites (Coptotermes formosanus)
• C. Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis)
• D. Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus)

Answer: (B)

Feeding habits of invasive wood-destroying insects are what this item tests. Termites specialize in cellulose, the main component of wood and other fibrous plant materials. The Formosan subterranean termite is notorious for being highly invasive and aggressive in foraging, forming large colonies that exploit moist, damaged cellulose-rich substrates. When seawalls are built with bagasse—a cellulose-rich byproduct from sugarcane—hurricane damage creates crevices and moisture that make the material vulnerable. These termites can move through soil and into cracks, then hollow out the bagasse, compromising the seawall structure. The other insects listed don’t feed on cellulose-based construction materials like bagasse. Emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle target living hardwood trees, boring into lignified tissue rather than degrading bagasse. The Asian tiger mosquito is a mosquito that breeds in standing water, not a wood-destroying insect.

Feeding habits of invasive wood-destroying insects are what this item tests. Termites specialize in cellulose, the main component of wood and other fibrous plant materials. The Formosan subterranean termite is notorious for being highly invasive and aggressive in foraging, forming large colonies that exploit moist, damaged cellulose-rich substrates. When seawalls are built with bagasse—a cellulose-rich byproduct from sugarcane—hurricane damage creates crevices and moisture that make the material vulnerable. These termites can move through soil and into cracks, then hollow out the bagasse, compromising the seawall structure.

The other insects listed don’t feed on cellulose-based construction materials like bagasse. Emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle target living hardwood trees, boring into lignified tissue rather than degrading bagasse. The Asian tiger mosquito is a mosquito that breeds in standing water, not a wood-destroying insect.