Asian Longhorned Beetle
The Asian Longhorned Beetle, also known as the Asian Cerambycid Beetle, was first discovered in the United States in 1996, when it was found attacking maple and horsechestnut trees in New York City.
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Recently, three Chicago area infestations have also been detected, heightening concern among forest health professionals about the threat posed by this non-native pest. This beetle, known by the scientific name Anoplophora glabripennis, is native to Japan, Korea, and southern China.
In Ohio, the insect has been found associated with solid wood packing and crating materials, however, an infestation of living host trees has never been detected in the state.
The Asian Longhorned Beetle
The Asian cerambycid beetle, commonly known as the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), was first discovered in the United States attacking trees around New York City in 1996. This beetle, known by the scientific name Anoplophora glabripennis, is native to Japan, Korea, and southern China. The New York City location was the first place the insect was found in the United States. Experts believe that the beetle hitchhiked to the U.S. during the early 1990's in solid wood packing or crating materials on a cargo ship arriving from China.
 The ALB is a serious pest of hardwood trees in its native environment, where it has few natural enemies. In the U.S., where no natural enemies exist, the insect is extremely destructive to our trees and forests. The beetle attacks many different hardwood trees, including Norway, sugar, silver, and red maple, horsechestnut, poplar, willow, elm, mulberry, and black locust. Trees of any age may be attacked, however, trees 4 inches in diameter and larger are preferred. Beetles will attack both stressed and healthy trees, which makes them an even greater threat.
Asian longhorned beetles are about an inch long, shiny, and black with bright white spots. Each adult has a pair of curved, black-and-white striped antennae that are even longer than the body. Adults emerge from trees during May, June, and July. They feed on plant shoots for a few days and then mate. After mating, females chew roughly oval pits in the bark of host trees, where they lay eggs. When the eggs hatch, the white grub-like larvae bore into the wood. Larvae mature inside the tree until they become adults and chew round, 3/8 inch (nearly dime-sized) exit holes in trunks and branches, from which they emerge. This life cycle produces new adults every year, rather than every 2-4 years like most other longhorned beetles. The ALB can fly hundreds of feet, perhaps farther when assisted by the wind.
Since a method for trapping this specific pest does not exist, areas must be surveyed for the presence of the beetle by carefully examining hardwood trees for signs of infestation. Large round exit holes with smooth edges, often oozing sap, are a strong indication of ALB activity. Frequently, piles of frass (insect waste and sawdust) are found at the base of infested trees and in branch crotches. Leaves of infested trees may also exhibit unseasonable yellowing or drooping. Eventually, larval tunnels sever the cambium (living part of the tree trunk), which disrupts the flow of water and other materials and kills the tree.
The ALB spends about 9 months of the year inside the tree, making it nearly impossible to kill with insecticides. The only way to control existing ALB outbreaks is to remove and destroy infested trees, an expensive operation. Suppressing a 1996 infestation in New York cost the State and Federal governments more than $4 million. Early detection of infestations is very important, since it limits the infested area and the number of trees removed. The best way to fight this insect, and similar non-native wood borers, is to exclude such pests from the country in the first place. More stringent rules governing packing materials used on cargo ships from China are currently being put in place to minimize the risk of more accidental introductions of the ALB.
Once introduced into an area, people unintentionally spread the beetle by cutting or trimming an infested tree and moving the wood elsewhere. To date, the Asian longhorned beetle has been found at 26 scattered warehouse and residential sites in 14 States around the country, including Cincinnati, Ohio. It has not been found infesting living trees in Ohio. The only ALB infestations of living trees are at Brooklyn, NY, Amityville, NY, and three neighborhoods in the Chicago, IL area. |