The specific name, robiniae, is derived from the New Latin name, Robinia, which is the generic name of the black locust tree, Robinia pseudacacia, on which the larvae feed.
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As more and more people use the black locust tree as an ornamental, the range of M. robiniae grows.
In 1900 it was reported that the value of Robinia pseudoacacia was practically destroyed in nearly all parts of the United States beyond the mountain forests which are its home by locust borers which riddle the trunk and branches.