We’re almost to the end of our series on the Most Unwanted
Garden Pests. This is villain #2: The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB).
The ALB (Anoplophora
glabripennis) doesn’t live in our area (Westchester, Bergen and
Fairfield counties) – yet. And hopefully, it won’t. Intensive eradication
efforts are ongoing in New York City, Long
Island, Massachusetts, Union and Middlesex counties in New Jersey and Ohio, the
areas where ALB is currently residing. The USDA is taking an aggressive
approach to this mission – any tree infested by ALB is cut down and burned.
Why is the ALB so despised? Because of the deadly outcome of
an ALB infestation and the extensiveness of their diet. In our area, we’ve had several species of
trees virtually eradicated by insects or disease over the last century: the
American Chestnut by chestnut blight, the American Elm from Dutch elm disease,
and – currently – several species of ash trees from the Emerald Ash Borer. But
the Asian Longhorned Beetle has the potential to decimate several widely growing tree genera in our area, including maple,
birch and sycamore. In addition to the loss of these beautiful trees, the
economic impact on our hardwood forests would be immense.
The story of the ALB’s infiltration into the U.S. sounds
like a spy movie. Someone notices a suspicious looking insect. They call a
government agency. The insect is identified as a stowaway assassin from China. Soon
after, the Feds swoop in and destroy the insects along with any possible hiding
place. They search the neighborhood looking for more insects and any possible
shelters – and in a slash and burn frenzy, cut down any trees that could harbor
these terrorists.
Yet this dramatic response seems to be yielding results. The
ALB appears to have been eliminated in the Chicago area, and it looks like New
York and New Jersey may soon follow. Massachusetts is still battling hard and
finding new ALB hideouts.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) actually acts like Homeland Security for invasive pests. They have
intercepted ALB in warehouses in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana,
Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. And their Canadian counterparts have
intercepted the ALB in several provinces there.
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| Asian Longhorned Beetle Exit Holes Source: Kenneth R. Law, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org |
Right now, the best chance we have of defeating the ALB is
public awareness. So if you see a large, gaudy beetle, call for backup! This
USDA site will give you more information: http://beetlebusters.info/
(It’s worth visiting just to see their CGI beetle!)
