Surveys Continue in Brookline for Asian Longhorned Beetle

Brookline residents have had some questions as to why USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service workers were surveying in their yards. The APHIS has been surveying the area in proximity to Faulkner Hospital since 2010, when six trees were discovered infested by the Asian Longhorn Beetle. 

“Surveys are conducted to find trees that may be infested by the Asian Longhorn Beetle. Survey inspection is conducted by staff inspecting trees from the ground and by tree climbers climbing into the trees,” USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Rhonda Santos said. “Members of the public are encouraged to inspect their own trees for signs of damage caused by the insect and report any suspicious findings. The sooner an infestation is reported, the sooner efforts can be made to quickly contain and isolate an area from future destruction.”

There was a small infestation in Jamaica Plain in 2010, and regulations and surveys have been in effect ever since. According to Santos, Asian Longhorn Beetles kill the heartwood trees it attacks. The adult female lay eggs in the bark, which hatch, feed and develop inside the tree.

“These aren’t small larva,” Santos said. “They’re the size of the pinky. Cross-sections of an infested tree looks like Swiss Cheese.”

The Beetles emerge in the beginning of July, but they are feast and grow all winter long. They tend to attack the same tree over and over again and the structure becomes compromised.  Once a tree is infested, there is no cure.

Treating the non-infested host trees as a preventative measure began this week, and will be done next week, though some areas won’t be finished until the end of June. By the end of June 2,000 will have been treated third and final time.

Right now, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are finishing up their surveys in Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury. The toxins used are no risk to the trees, people or your pets and are performed with the homeowner’s permission.