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Asian Longhorn Beetle Attacks Long Island Trees: LIB News
The invasive beetles tunnel through trees and their branches, making both dangerous and susceptible to falling on people, said authorities.
LONG ISLAND, NY — The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service wing of the U.S. Department of Agriculture urges the public to check trees for Asian longhorn beetles and not to move untreated firewood so as to prevent the spread of the insects.
The tree-killing long horned beetle, also known as ALB for short, is pervasive in South Carolina, Massachusetts, Ohio and New York, according to the USDA.
The invasive wood-boring insectoid is invasive toward Maple, elm, buckeye, birch and willows, which are some of the dozen trees it attacks, especially in August, which is why it's “Tree Check Month,” noted the federal agency.
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Trees infested by the black-bodied, white-spotted 1 to nearly 2 inch long bug with black and white antennae, do not recover and eventually die, making them safety hazards because branches can drop and trees can fall over, especially during storms, said the USDA of the six-legged creature that has feet that appears bluish.
Hurricane season in Long Island runs from June through November, according to Fox News.
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As of Tuesday, the insect, which feeds on tree trunks and branches by tunneling through them, has attacked trees throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties by the thousands, according to Long Island Business News.
The insect leaves about ¾ inch round exit holes, according to the USDA.
“Checking trees for the pest and the damage it causes is how you can help us eliminate the beetle from the United States, and protect more trees,” Josie Ryan, APHIS’ National Operations Manager for the ALB Eradication Program, said in a statement to LIB News. “The sooner we know where the insect is, the sooner we can stop its spread.”
Other than openings in trees, signs that a tree has been infested include sites that are shallow, oval or round wounds in the bark where sap might weep. There may be sawdust-like material called frass found on the ground around the tree or on the branches. And there may be branches or limbs falling from an otherwise healthy-looking tree, LIB News noted.
Frass is the excrement of the pest, according to the Worldwide Pest Control, a pest control.
To report a sighting call 1 (866) 702-9938 or go online at www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com.
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