Feds announce plans to battle tree killing beetles in Ohio, other states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has announced its plans to eliminate the Asian longhorned beetle from Ohio and three other states in 2024.

The Asian longhorned beetle is a wood-boring beetle native to China and Korea known to infest trees including maple, willow, elm, poplar, birch, and buckeye trees.

Adult females chew 60 to 90 egg-site depressions into the bark of a host tree and will lay one egg, half the size of a grain of rice. Within a few weeks, the eggs hatch into larvae, which bore into and feed on the interior layers of the tree.

“We need people looking for and reporting tree damage now more than ever,” said Josie Ryan, APHIS’ National Operations Manager for the Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program.  “Please look at your trees and report any suspicious damage. You can help us find the beetle so we can eliminate it.”

APHIS and its partners are inspecting trees in quarantined areas in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and South Carolina. The program removes infested trees at no cost to property owners. And they will not use insecticide treatments on residential properties this year. They will continue to respond to calls for assistance and provide outreach.

They are characterized by an extremely long antenna (up to twice their body length), a shiny black body with white spots, and blue feet.  They are relatively large beetles with an adult body length of 1 to 1.5 inches.

If you spot the insects in Ohio, call 513-381-7180 to report it.

APHIS is developing new ways to eradicate the beetle including:

• Using a new dynamic approach to surveying to reduce the time spent re-inspecting trees that are low risk of becoming infested.
• Conducting an infested tree removal study in wetland environments.
• Using risk-based models to project the beetle’s spread and plan survey efforts.
• Evaluating new tools to find the beetle sooner, such as using trained dogs and remote-controlled technology to help find tree damage or host trees.
• Conducting studies to understand when and under what conditions adult beetles emerge.
• Improving data collection methods in each state.

Currently, 278.3 square miles are under federal quarantine for ALB in the United States, including 49 square miles in Clermont County, Ohio.

In June 2011, the Asian longhorned beetle was discovered in Tate Township, Clermont County, and areas of East Fork State Park and Wildlife Area.

People living and working in quarantine zones may not move regulated items out of the area. This includes items such as firewood, nursery stock, woody debris, and green lumber from all host trees, unless the person has a compliance agreement along with a permit, or certificate. The trees the beetle attacks are regulated.