
Alien Wood-Boring Beetles Turn up in Six New
StatesBy Hank Becker September 28, 1998The invasion by alien Asian
longhorned wood-boring beetles heated up this summer, with discoveries in six
new states: California, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Texas and
Washington. Known to scientists as Anoplophoraglabripennis, the pest was
first found in the U.S. last year in Brooklyn. So far, only the New York and
Illinois populations appear established. Beetles at the other localities likely
are isolated interceptions from cargo. Unchecked, however, the pests could
spread to threaten ornamental trees and the maple syrup, lumber and tourism
industries. The insects attack maples, horse chestnuts and elms. In Brooklyn
and Chicago, workers have had to cut down, chip and burn infested trees. Regulatory agencies rely on Agricultural
Research Service entomologist
Steve Lingafelter in
Washington, D.C., to make official USDA identifications of the pests. He works
at the Systematic Entomology
Laboratory operated by ARS, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's chief scientific agency. Over an inch long, the adult beetle is coal black with yellow or white
spots. Its long antennae have black and white bands. The adults' peak activity
periodand mating seasonextends from about July 5 to September 5. The beetles were first discovered outside New York state in April, when
cargo inspectors intercepted them in crating material at a port of entry in
Elizabeth, N.J.In June and July, inspectors found them at Houston;
Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; and Oakland and Long Beach, Calif. In addition, adult
beetles were found in July in Burns Harbor, Ind.; Wheeling, Ill.; and
Bellingham, Wash.; and in August in Summit, Ill. ARS has developed a research program in cooperation with USDA's
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service, USDA's Forest Service,
Cornell University and the
New York State Department of
Agriculture and Markets. The research is aimed at providing technology to
control or eradicate the pest in the United States. Scientific contact: Steve Lingafelter, ARS Systematic Entomology
Laboratory, U.S. National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C., (202)
382-1793, fax (202) 786-9422, [email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |