New "Asian Longhorned Beetle Look-Alikes" Mini-Poster Available

A new "Asian Longhorned Beetle Look-Alikes" mini-poster is now available from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. It features an image and description of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), an invasive and highly destructive pest which attacks hardwood trees, along with seven of the insects that ALB is most often confused with in Massachusetts. The mini-poster, based on a design from the Maine Department of Agriculture, can easily be printed on a standard 8.5x11 inch piece of paper and is ideal to hand out at outreach events or to post in schools and offices.

This sheet will come in handy during the spring and summer, when adult beetles are most active. In fall and winter, the one ALB look-alike you are likely to see is the Western conifer seed bug, which seeks temporary shelter from cold weather inside homes and other buildings. In the spring and early summer, the most commonly reported ALB look-alike is the native whitespotted pine sawyer beetle. Unlike ALB, which attacks live trees, the whitespotted pine sawyer only attacks dead or dying conifers. Also seen in the summer are the broadnecked root borer, a native pest that damages the root system of trees, the eyed click beetle, also native, and various other longhorned beetle species with the characteristic long antennae.

Look for this mini-poster at upcoming events, including New England Grows and the Lumber and Building Materials Expo, or print copies to hand out at your own events.

For more information about ALB, or to report a sighting, visit the Massachusetts ALB Cooperative Eradication Program website.