(August 2008 - APHIS Factsheet) - The Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) (Motschulsky) (ALB) is an invasive pest that arrived in the United States from Asia concealed in solid wood packing material—the pallets and crates used to transport goods. The ALB was first discovered in the United States in Brooklyn, NY, in 1996. The ALB kills many species of hardwood trees. Potentially, the ALB is one of the most destructive and costly invasive species ever to enter the United States. It threatens urban and suburban shade trees and recreational and forest resources valued at hundreds of billions of dollars. It might also impact such industries as maple syrup production, hardwood lumber processing, nurseries, and tourism. If it became widely established, its impact would be felt in urban, suburban, and forested parts of the country. Given the ALB’s destructive potential, the goal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is to eradicate the insect from the United States. ALB infestations now exist in parts of New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York. An infestation is being eradicated in Middlesex and Union counties in New Jersey. ALB infestations found in Chicago, IL, and Hudson County, NJ, were declared eradicated in early 2008.

In August 2008, USDA APHIS confirmed the presence of the Asian Longhorned Beetle in Worcester, MA. APHIS and the State of Massachusetts initially set the regulated area on August 8. Additional detections of the ALB were found and the area was expanded the week of August 18.  APHIS and the State of Massachusetts will continue to adjust the regulated area as needed as the extent of the infestation is determined.

In late summer or fall, when the beetle is in its larval(immature) stage, it bores deep into the heartwood of its host tree. There, the larvae feed and develop. The following summer they emerge as adults and then mate, starting the cycle again. The larval tunneling weakens and eventually kills infested host trees making the ALB a destructive and costly invasive species. Collectively, the tree species the insect favors are called ALB host trees. ALB host tree species include 11 genera. Among them are all species of: maple (including boxelder), elm, willow, birch, horsechestnut, London planetree, poplar, ash, mimosa(silktree), hackberry, and mountain ash. Three targeted, science-based ALB eradication activities take place in and around regulated areas: (1) surveys to inspect ALB host trees for signs of infestation, (2) preventative treatments to host trees using the insecticide imidacloprid to kill adult beetles and larvae tunneling just below the bark, and (3) removal of infested trees. The removal of high-risk host trees, those host trees within a certain distance of infested trees, also support ALB eradication. Only USDA should remove any tree with signs of ALB infestation to ensure proper disposal.

Working in Massachusetts’ ALB Regulated Areas,  APHIS has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, and the City of Worcester. Together, these organizations form the ALB Cooperative Eradication Program in Massachusetts. Both Federal and State law establish regulated areas around ALB infestations. The regulated areas assist in beetle eradication by curtailing the movement of materials that could host populations of the ALB. This keeps infestations from spreading. Federal and State laws outline the conditions and requirements for moving regulated articles out of or within the infested area. The Federal regulation can be found at 7 CFR 301.51. Training sessions, workshops, and other outreach tools designed to assist businesses with compliance will soon be offered in the Worcester area to explain the ALB and laws enacted to eradicate it.

For specific details regarding the Massachusetts eradication program and restrictions on movement of materials, please click here.