Asian Longhorn Beetle

Boston Long Horn Asian Beetle Alert

Over the July 4th weekend USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the discovery of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) a devastating invasive species, in six red maple trees on Faulkner Hospital property in Jamaica Plain. The trees have been destroyed and the grounds closely monitored. The Department of Conservation and Recreation has issued an indefinite quarantine on 1.5 miles of land surrounding the infestation. No woody material will be permitted to enter or leave the quarantined area. The affected trees are the first confirmed infestation outside of the county of Worcester, where the beetles, called ALB, were first discovered in the state in 2008

Identifying Long Horn Asian Beetle

The Long Horn Asian Beetle is about an inch long, jet black with white or bright yellow spots, blue feet and very long antennae that have white bands. It is sometimes confused with the native white-spotted pine sawyer beetle. For a handy guide to identifying the beetle click here. ALB do not attack dead or dying pine trees, and prefer birches, Ohio buckeye, elms, willows and maple species including box elder, Norway, red, silver and sugar maples.

Eradication and Prevention

According to the U.S.D.A, 38,000 trees susceptible to the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) were treated with the insecticide imidacloprid this past spring in Massachusetts. Certified pesticide applicators treated ALB host trees by using hand-held application devices, and injecting the insecticide directly into the trunk of the tree, allowing the imidacloprid to be dispersed through the tree’s vascular system. The insecticide reaches any adult ALB in the area feeding on small twigs and leaves, and any larvae feeding just beneath the bark of treated host trees. Control treatments are a vital component of the area-wide eradication strategies.

Most often when ALB is discovered, officials will quarantine the affected areas to prevent the infestation from spreading, and all infested trees are removed, chipped and burned.

Tree Tech’s certified arborists and tree service professionals have completed compliance training and are certified to perform work that would result in the movement or transport of wood materials in the regulated area. If you suspect that you may have an infestation of Asian Longhorned Beetles, contact a certified arborist at Tree Tech for a free diagnosis.

Please visit our other tree treatment sections or tree disease page for more information on Tree Tech’s other insect control and disease management services.