It targets a narrow range of host plants – in this case, as its common and scientific names imply, shrubs in the genus Viburnum. Viburnum leaf beetle. Low- to moderate-severity fires top-kill maple-leaf viburnum. The viburnum leaf beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni), native to Europe and Asia, was … Adult VLB Photo: Paul Weston, Cornell University. The first report of VLB in the United States was in New York State in 1996. The larvae, concealed on the undersides of leaves, skeletonize them by eating the tender tissue between the tougher leaf veins, while the adults simply bite … disease damage in cultivation although bacterial leaf spot, powdery mildew, shoot blight, tarnished plant bugs, stem borers, and thrips will occasionally be a problem. Back to Leaf Beetles. VLB (Pyrrhalta viburni), is a recent unintentionally introduced pest of viburnum in North America. The viburnum leaf beetle. Viburnum leaf beetle: The viburnum leaf beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni), native to Europe and Asia, was It was first found in upstate New York in 1996. VLB is native to Europe and was detected in Canada in 1947. The viburnum leaf beetle (VLB), Pyrrhalta viburni, is an invasive insect that feeds exclusively on and can significantly damage Viburnum species. This pest has been on the move ever since munching its way through native and landscape viburnums from upstate New York to northern Pennsylvania. A leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull), commonly known as the viburnum leaf beetle (VLB) particularly attacks viburnums (Weston and Hoebeke 2003a). It apparently survives fire by sprouting from underground rhizomes, but these are shallow and easily damaged and the species decreases with exposure to repeated fires.