Wanted — Dead or Alive — 

 Dealing with Exotic Invaders 



DIANE E. YORKE 



At first it was believed vandals had drilled holes 

 into the street trees of Brooklyn, New York. 

 Soon, however, a six-legged culprit was found — 

 Anoplophora glabripennis, a beetle from the wood- 

 boring Cerambycidae family. Also called the Asian 

 long-horned beetle, it was discovered on August 19, 

 1996. Its name discloses its native homeland of Ja- 

 pan, Korea, and China. It also gives away a distin- 

 guishing characteristic — its antennae, black with 

 white rings, are longer than the beetle itself. What 

 its name doesn't tell is that it is a major tree-killing 

 pest and, if not eradicated, could have a devastating 

 impact on North American forests. Within a month 

 of this first discovery in the United States, a second 

 infestation was found in Amityville, about 30 miles 

 east of Brooklyn. 



No one knows how the beetle got to New York, 

 or how long it had been there. Though border en- 

 trances are guarded to keep such pests from infil- 

 trating, they often sneak in, concealed in the wood 

 used to package goods during shipment. This is es- 

 pecially true for wood-borers such as the Asian 

 - ^ long-horned beetle that can be moved in 



^ ^ any and all of its life stages in 



wooden packing materials, cut 

 logs, branches, wood 

 ^ - - ' debris, or firewood. 



It's believed this alien 



was a New York resident for 



up to ten years, even though its 



discovery and reputation remained 



unknown. Now its description with 



mug shots is plastered everywhere in 



an attempt to get rid of it. This bul- 



shaped beetle grows up to one and a 



half inches long, and is shiny, coal black with white 

 spots. Adults can be found from May to October 

 when they emerge from exit holes of infested trees. 

 After mating, females lay a single egg in a chewed- 

 out crevice of tree bark. When the larvae hatch, 

 they chew inward, continuing to move to the heart- 

 wood where they dig tunnels and stay until emerg- 

 ing as adults the next year to start the cycle over. 

 Signs of the beetle include exit holes up to one-half 

 inch in diameter anywhere on the tree — including 

 the roots, dieback, and piles of sawdust at the base 

 of trees and branch junctures. 



Unlike many in its family, the Asian long-horned 

 beetle attacks and kills healthy trees along with 

 stressed ones. It doesn't discriminate against young 

 or old, big or small — even inhabiting trees two to 

 three inches in diameter. In its homeland, it dines 

 on over 50 tree species. Here, its diet includes silver 

 maple, elm, poplar, boxelder, sycamore, willow, and 

 birch — though it has a preference for horse chestnut 

 and sugar and Norway maples. It remains unknown 

 what else may be palatable to the beetle in this new 

 territory, but it is clear that, if not eliminated, it 

 has the potential to make a huge ecological and 

 economic impact. In Brooklyn, there are 110,000 

 street trees — 27% are Norway maple. Then there are 

 2.7 million trees in New York City to contend 

 with, should it spread there. And its gastronomic 

 inclination for sugar maples alone has more than 

 just the maple industry anxious about the prospect 

 of this beetle becoming loose in the forests. 



Adding to the concern, no chemical has been ef- 

 fective in eliminating the beetle thus far. Systemic 

 chemicals can't reach it deep in the heartwood 

 where it spends most of its life. Other pesticides 



