This time of year, when insects are most active, you may start seeing some suspicious beetles with very long antennae, and your mind may jump to Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis, “ALB”). Every June we get reports from people who see beetles like this crawling up the screens on their windows and doors, especially if […]
It’s August, and that means it’s Tree Check Month! Every year, USDA APHIS PPQ recommends August as a good time to go outside and check trees for signs of invasive insects. In Massachusetts, that means keeping your eye out for Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) and emerald ash borer (EAB), especially. These insects are active right […]
Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis, “ALB”) has once again begun its yearly process of emerging from the trees as fully-developed adult beetles. These wood-boring pests spend much of their life as larvae, developing inside living maple, birch, and other hardwood trees and eating away at the tree’s interior, which ultimately leads to tree death. Once […]
As summer progresses, a familiar site has reappeared in the Worcester area: Asian longhorned beetle traps. In the twelfth year of the ALB Cooperative Eradication Program, it remains critical to survey for the beetle in as many ways possible. ALB has not been found in a trap since 2015. This is a sign of the […]
By now, residents of Massachusetts are quite familiar with the invasive Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis, “ALB”), first discovered in Worcester in 2008. On June 15th, officials announced that ALB has unfortunately now been found in South Carolina. The beetle was found by a resident in the town of Hollywood (near Charleston) whose son encouraged […]
It’s almost Memorial Day weekend, and to a lot of folks, that means barbecues, picnics, and spending time with family and friends (with proper social distancing, of course). But to those of us who work at the Massachusetts Forest Pest Outreach Program, Memorial Day means the emergence of the whitespotted pine sawyers. Some of you […]
You might be feeling stuck at home right now, but all around you, the spring season continues. As the days get warmer, trees are budding and new insects are emerging on a daily basis. That makes now the perfect time to start a nature journal, to chronicle the changing environment and keep track of the […]
On January 14th, 2020, surveyors working with the Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication Program discovered a tree with Asian longhorned beetle damage was found in Auburn, MA. While this is the first find of ALB damage in the town of Auburn, it was found well within the boundaries of the existing regulated area. The damage […]
While this blog typically focuses on the efforts of eradicating Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) (Anaplophora glabripennis) in Massachusetts, we are not the only state dealing with the invasive pest. ALB was discovered in New York City in 1996, well before its discovery in Massachusetts and Ohio. Twenty-three years later, in October 2019, the infestations in New […]
In order to keep track of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) and monitor its spread of damage in the regulated area, surveyors with the ALB Cooperative Eradication Program need to record the location of every host tree they encounter. Data including tree species, size, and whether the tree is infested or not is recorded in […]