Invasive wood-boring Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) pose a significant risk to northeast forests, as generalist pests. Adult beetles are now emerging.
While the non-native Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) is contained to four quarantine areas, its expansion would cause widespread damage to eastern forest, particularly since it feeds on a wide variety of trees.
The beetles overwinter as both eggs and pupae. Adults are now emerging during the summer months, and are typically active until late fall. Females lay eggs just beneath the bark of trees, which look like little wounds on the tree, and you can sometimes see the chew marks on the edges. After the egg hatches, the larva tunnels into the growing layers of the tree and eventually into the woody tree tissue; if you have a fallen branch or are cutting wood, you may see this tunneling. As the larva tunnels and feeds, it often pushes sawdust-like material or excrement, called frass out onto the ground around the tree or onto the tree branches. Adults then emerge from the tree leaving perfectly round exit holes.
You can use USA-NPN’s Pheno Forecast to find out when the first generation of adults are emerging from their overwintering pupae in your area. This helps with detection, and also with preventing the spread of the insect, because infested trees need to be reported and properly destroyed.
If you observe an adult Asian longhorned beetle, report it online immediately to USDA (or call 1-866-702-9938). Additional resources are available through USDA, Ohio, New York and Massachusetts Extension.
You can report the life stages and any tree damage you observe to the USA-NPN Pest Patrol campaign to help better understand the species and check the forecast.
