Massachusetts Introduced Pests Outreach Blog

Colin Novick, Executive Director of the Greater Worcester Land Trust, and family join other volunteers to search Kinney Woods for signs of the Asian longhorned beetle.

Last month the Greater Worcester Land Trust hosted an Asian longhorned beetle (“ALB”) tree survey within Kinney Woods, part of over 100-acres of GWLT conservation land. The area is just 2.5 miles west of a known ALB infestation and is a gateway to many other important areas including Holden Reservoir, Cascades Park, and Boynton Park.

Before the survey there was a brief training session by the GWLT’s executive director, Colin Novick. Volunteers learned exactly what to look for in order to recognize the Asian longhorned beetle: a shiny black body, bright white spots, long banded antennae, and blue-tinged feet. They also learned which trees to survey; Asian longhorned beetle will attack maples, elms, willows, and birches most often and does not attack pine, oak, or fruit trees.

Knowing exactly what Asian longhorned beetle exit holes look like is important for differentiating between holes made by woodpeckers or other insects. Asian longhorned beetle exit holes are perfectly round, a bit smaller than a dime, and located randomly on the tree, while woodpecker holes typically occur in rows or lines.

The group’s youngest members were Colin’s three beetle-expert daughters. Though none of them were even out of elementary school yet, they were among the most knowledgable surveyors. They came armed with binoculars to search high up in the tree’s canopy, pencils to test holes in trees (if the eraser-end goes in 1 inch it may be ALB), and bright flagging tape to mark any trees that may be infested.

Attending a volunteer tree survey is a great way to get field training in identifying Asian longhorned beetle and ALB tree damage. The next Greater Worcester Land Trust ALB tree survey will be held Sept. 24 at 12pm, at God’s Acre, off of Swan Ave. in Worcester. To register, email mary@gwlt.org. If you think you’ve seen an Asian longhorned beetle or signs of ALB tree damage, report it on our website or call toll-free 1-866-702-9938.

The New England Wild Flower Society has uploaded a series of short videos to YouTube profiling invasive plants in Massachusetts. To learn more, check out their identification tips for mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum), Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora).

If you think you see mile-a-minute vine, please photograph it or take a sample, and submit a report through our website.

Our Asian Longhorned Beetle “T3″ Train-the-Trainer sessions are starting up again next week, but there’s still time to register!

As part of the Forest Pest Outreach and Survey Project, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is seeking stakeholders in Fitchburg, Leominster, New Bedford, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and surrounding communities to help organize tree surveys, participate in Asian longhorned beetle “Train the Trainer” sessions, and plan other activities to help raise awareness about the Asian longhorned beetle and other invasive pests.

Our upcoming “Train the Trainer” sessions include:

• Wednesday, August 18, 6pm-7:30pm. Doyle Center, Leominster, MA
• Tuesday, August 17, 6:30-7:30pm. Charles River Conservancy, 4 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA [CANCELED]
• Tuesday, August 10, 8:30am-10am. Doyle Center, Leominster, MA

You can also join us for a free info session covering ALB and other invasive species at:

• Thursday, August 12, 6:30pm. Buttonwood Zoo. New Bedford, MA

If you work in the green industry, education, government, or are involved with an environmental group or neighborhood association, and you are concerned about the potential impact that ALB or other invasive pests could have on your community’s trees, sign up for a session or suggest your own event: email Jennifer.Forman-Orth@state.ma.us or call 617-626-1735. Kickoff meetings to plan more events for this summer and fall will be happening soon!

Note: Mass. Foresters Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) credits and Mass. Arborists Association Certified Arborist credits are now available for the Leominster sessions!

While the Asian longhorned beetle has not been found in Fitchburg, Leominster or New Bedford, every town and city in Massachusetts remains at risk. If you think you’ve seen an Asian longhorned beetle or signs of ALB tree damage, report it here or call 1-866-702-9938.

Officials from the US Department of Agriculture, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the city of Boston, and the town of Brookline have scheduled public meetings to discuss the recent discovery of Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) in Jamaica Plain and eradication efforts:

• Wednesday, July 21, 6:30-8:30pm. Brookline Public Library, Hunneman Hall, 361 Washington St.
• Thursday, July 22, 6:30 to 8:30pm. Faulkner Hospital, Huvos Auditorium [Organized by State Representative Jeffrey Sanchez]
• Thursday, July 29, 6:30-8:30pm. Brookline Public Library, Hunneman Hall, 361 Washington St.
• Saturday, July 31, 10am-12pm. Curtis Hall, 20 South St., Jamaica Plain [ALB Resource Fair]

The Greater Worcester Land Trust is looking for volunteers to assist with Asian longhorned beetle tree surveys in the Worcester area on Tuesdays during the month of July. Sessions will be held from noon – 1:00pm (when the lighting is best for detecting ALB tree damage). No experience necessary – experienced GWLT members will hold a brief training session before the survey. All survey materials will be provided, but bring a good pair of binoculars if you have them.

Scheduled Dates:

• July 13, Angel Brook (Shrewsbury Street, West Boylston).
• July 20, Kinneywood (will meet at the trail entrance to Kinneywood – on map)
• July 27, Nick’s Woods
• Rain Date: August 3

If the day is overcast, the survey will be rescheduled, so please register by emailing mary@gwlt.org

During the July 4th weekend, a small infestation of the invasive Asian longhorned beetle was found in Jamaica Plain (Boston). The site is at Faulkner Hospital, just across from the Arnold Arboretum. Six infested maple trees were found, in close proximity to each other, and have already been removed by USDA/DCR. Surveys of the area continue, in order to determine the extent of the infestation.

It is extremely important to get the word out ASAP to everyone in the Boston and Brookline area to be on the lookout for:

1. Adult Asian longhorned beetles (shiny black beetles with white spots and long, banded antennae)
2. ALB exit holes (dime-sized, perfectly round holes, especially in maple, but also in birch, elm, horse chestnut, willow and other hardwood trees, but not oak, cherry or crabapple. Also does not attack conifers like pine, hemlock or spruce)
3. ALB egg-laying sites (divots in the bark ranging in size from 1/4 to 3/4 inches across – fresh pits often have oozing, foaming sap)

If you see anything suspicious, report it immediately using our ALB reporting form, or call toll-free: 1-866-702-9938. Be sure to get photos or collect a specimen if you can.

If you are with an environmental group or other organization that needs outreach materials, the Mass. Dept. of Agricultural Resources will provide you with ID cards, fact sheets, etc., for free. MDAR can also provide public speakers for ALB training sessions. Contact jennifer.forman-orth@state.ma.us or call 617-626-1735 for more info.

Spread the word, not the beetle! Get all the latest ALB news at the ALB Cooperative Eradication Program website, subscribe to this bi-weekly newsletter, or follow ALB on Twitter at albtweets.

As part of the Forest Pest Outreach and Survey Project, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is seeking stakeholders in the communities of Fitchburg, Leominster, New Bedford and surrounding communities to help organize tree surveys, participate in Asian longhorned beetle “Train the Trainer” sessions, and plan other activities to help raise awareness about the Asian longhorned beetle and other invasive pests.

Our upcoming “Train the Trainer” sessions include:

• Tuesday, August 10, 8:30am-10am. Doyle Center, Leominster, MA
• Wednesday, August 18, 6pm-7:30pm. Doyle Center, Leominster, MA

You can also join us for a free info session covering ALB and other invasive species at:

• Thursday, August 12, 6:30pm. Buttonwood Zoo. New Bedford, MA

If you work in the green industry, education, government, or are involved with an environmental group or neighborhood association, and you are concerned about the potential impact that ALB or other invasive pests could have on your community’s trees, sign up for a session or suggest your own event: email Jennifer.Forman-Orth@state.ma.us or call 617-626-1735. Kickoff meetings to plan more events for this summer and fall will be happening soon!

Note: Mass. Foresters Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) credits and Mass. Arborists Association Certified Arborist credits are now available for the Leominster sessions!

While the Asian longhorned beetle has not been found in Fitchburg, Leominster or New Bedford, every town and city in Massachusetts remains at risk. If you think you’ve seen an Asian longhorned beetle or signs of ALB tree damage, report it here or call 1-866-702-9938.

As part of the Friends of the Public Garden 40th Anniversary celebration, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is seeking volunteers to assist with an Asian longhorned beetle tree survey in Boston Common next Thursday, June 23 at 3pm.

While ALB has not been found in Boston, groups like the Friends remain vigilant about protecting the health of the city’s trees. With their tree mapping project completed, they can now tell exactly where the trees susceptible to ALB are located, making these surveys more efficient. After a brief training session, volunteers will use maps created from the tree inventory to look for evidence of the Asian longhorned beetle. For information about the event, call Friends of the Public Garden at 617-723-8144. Sign up as a volunteer by calling Harron and Associates at 617-267-7366 or email marjorie@harronandassociates.com.

If you think you’ve seen an Asian longhorned beetle or signs of ALB tree damage, report it here or call 1-866-702-9938.

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, “EAB”) is an invasive, wood-boring beetle that has caused the loss of tens of millions of ash trees in North America, just within the past eight years. While it has not been found in New England, it has been found as close as New York and Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts and other New England states do yearly surveys to check for its presence.

The USDA’s Otis Lab on Cape Cod helps develop methods for dealing with plant pests like EAB, Asian longhorned beetle, and winter moth. The lab is about to receive a new parasitic wasp from Russia that is a candidate for use as a biological control against EAB. Working in quarantine, Otis Lab must first determine whether this wasp poses any threats to native species, and is seeking assistance finding dying trees that are infested with native wood-borers. If you are an arborist, forester, tree warden, master gardener, naturalist or other tree expert, and know of any trees in Massachusetts that currently have active infestations of native wood borers, such as the bronze birch borer, two-lined chestnut borer, and others, please contact Bob Childs at UMass Extension ASAP, at rchilds@psis.umass.edu.

Are invasive plants plaguing your neighborhood? Head to Shelburne, MA this Saturday, May 22 to the Highlands’ Least-Wanted Invasive Plants Forum to learn why invasive plants are harmful to our wildlife and landscape and what can you do about them, and then attend a hands-on field session where you will learn to identify and remove garlic mustard. This free event, hosted by The Trustees of Reservations’ Highland Communities Initiative, the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, and the Town of Shelburne Open Space Committee, and co-sponsored by a number of organizations including the Mass. Dept. of Agricultural Resources, will be held from 9am to 3pm. Full details including how to register can be found in this flyer.