THe asian longhorned beetle

causes and solutions

causes

The Asian longhorned beetle first arrived in the U.S. hiding in wood shipments. To this day, that is still the main way they get around. Careless lumberjacks often cut down trees with young beetle larvae still inside them, and carry them far away to a mill, where the newly matured beetles bore out of the bark and escape into the wild.

However, the beetle follows a pattern of natal homing, meaning that adult beetles will consistently return to the tree they bore out of as a young adult to lay their eggs. Since they return home every time to reproduce, the only way they can move as a species is by human transportation.

Beetle larvae emerges from a processed log.

solutions

How is the government responding?

The Asian longhorned beetle has caused enough damage for the federal agencies to take notice of it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched a campaign to eradicate them, formulating this three-point plan of attack:

Increase port inspections- Increased the number of officers making inspections to natural cargo at the most threatened East Coast port cites, including New York. If a shipment is too large to be efficiently and accurately inspected, it will be transferred to larger, inland distribution warehouses.
Prohibit importation of infested wood- The USDA enacted a rule in 1998 that required all wood packing materials from China to be treated and tested for signs of the beetle even before shipment. The decree has been largely successful, with USDA officials reporting 98.4% compliance in recent years.
Quarantine infested areas- Since human activity is the main way by which the Asian longhorned beetle spreads, both state and federal quarantines have been established in the main infested areas within New York and Chicago.

What can an individual to do help?

The main thing one can do is recognize signs of a beetle infestation before it spreads within your neighborhood. Fortunately, the beetle leaves a quarter-sized round or ovular hole where it enters and exits the tree, allowing identification with the naked eye. However, there are no known pesticides that can kill the beetle, alas, the only way to eliminate it if it has already settled in is to destroy the tree.

The USDA has posted some guidelines for the prevention and safe removal of the beetle:

Don't cut down infested trees- only certified professionals can do it.
Don't use, dispose of, or move any infested wood.
Don't plant trees that are hosts to the Asian longhorned beetle.

-USDA Animal and Plant Health Protection Service, 2010

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