discussion on the ALH beetle

[mapleman3]

The Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis, "ALB"), a pest of hardwood trees including maple, birch and horse chestnut, was recently discovered in Worcester, Massachusetts. An astute resident of the Greendale section of Worcester reported the sighting, and it was confirmed by entomologists from USDA APHIS-PPQ earlier this week.

The Asian Longhorn Beetle is an invasive species native to China. It was first discovered in the U.S. in New York in 1996, and has also been found in Chicago and New Jersey. The beetles cause damage by tunneling within the trunks and branches of trees, disrupting the sap flow and weakening and eventually killing them.

This pest attacks a wide variety of hardwood trees, particularly maples, and is considered a serious threat to the nursery, lumber, wood products, maple syrup, and tourism industries in our state. If it became established over a large area, it could also significantly disrupt the forest ecosystem.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, and the City of Worcester are partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and USDA APHIS-PPQ to coordinate a management plan to eradicate this species in Massachusetts. First steps include a survey of the area to determine the extent of the infestation, and regulatory management to prevent movement of host trees and wood out of the infested area. Infested trees will need to be removed and destroyed, and susceptible host trees may need treatment to prevent further infestations. Trees will not be cut down and destroyed until after the first killing frost. Although this seems like the wrong thing to do, to wait any longer, but there is a reason for this approach. The adult beetles don't fly very well or very far, and tend to stay on their original host tree. Cutting down infested trees now will disrupt the adult beetles and they would tend to fly away to new host trees. By leaving them on their host trees, they will be killed by the frost, and then the trees can be cut and incinerated to kill the eggs and larvae that are still within the trees.

The Mass Maple Association was first notified about this infestation early in the week. We have been in regular communication with authorities on both the state and federal levels. As of today, federal and state authorities have established a preliminary quarantine area around the infestation in Worcester. They have started to train people to complete a full survey of trees in the area, looking for more infestations. That survey will start August 25th. A large team of USDA pest experts will soon descend upon Worcester for this project, including people who have had first-hand experience with other infestations in New York and New Jersey. Later this summer there will be an investigation of wood products such as packing materials and pallets that may be in the surrounding area, and will try to determine if any of those materials have been shipped elsewhere in the US. The infestation in Worcester is in a residential and commercial/industrial area where there are many piles of old wood pallets stacked behind industrial buildings and old mills.

What can you do? The best thing you can do as a concerned citizen and maple producer is to educate yourself about this insect pest and learn how to identify it, and the signs if an ALHB infestation. Once you know what to look for, keep a close eye on your trees, especially those producers in the Worcester area. Any infestation can be reported via this website: http://massnrc.org/pests/linkeddocum...LB_Aug2008.htm

To learn more: Take some time to read up about this pest, the following websites are the most helpful.
New Defenses Against the Daunting Asian Longhorned Beetle
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archiv...beetle0506.htm

USDA - APHIS - Plant Health, Plant Protection and Quarantine http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_heal...hb/index.shtml

Asian Longhorned Beetle - UVM Entomology Research Laboratory
http://www.uvm.edu/albeetle/

To learn more about the Massachusetts infestation:
Asian longhorned beetle 'our worst nightmare' - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/ne...orst-nightmare

Beetles infesting trees in Bay State - The Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/local/art...in_bay_state/\

If you have any further questions, be sure to get in touch with me.
Or
Tom McCrumm, Coordinator
Massachusetts Maple Producers Association
Watson-Spruce Corner Rd.
Ashfield, MA 01330
413-628-3912
www.massmaple.org
info@massmaple.org