Why Research is Vital for Eradicating the Asian Longhorned Beetle

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Rhonda Santos, APHIS Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program, on April 23, 2014 at 10:30 AM

At the APHIS Otis Lab in Massachusetts, employees conduct research for several APHIS forest pest emergency response and eradication programs, including Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Asian gypsy moth (AGM), emerald ash borer (EAB), and Sirex noctilio woodwasp.

In addition to the existing science-based eradication protocols for fighting an Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) infestation, such as surveying trees and removing infested ones, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) relies on on-going research to not only improve current protocols, but also to develop new ones.

APHIS’s Center for Plant Health Science and Technology continues research to develop attractant-baited traps designed to lure and capture adult insects. The attractants include plant odors and pheromones, which are naturally occurring chemicals created and used by insects to communicate with each other.  These attractants are used to lure beetles to traps that are hung on trees that the beetle will attack.  Traps can aid in early detection of insects in areas where survey staff may not be working. When the traps are checked by staff members and a beetle is found, nearby trees may be surveyed to determine if they are infested. This year, the traps will be placed in the spring and early summer in strategic locations in all three ALB-affected states: New York, Massachusetts, and Ohio.  APHIS is also working with the U.S. Forest Service and Penn State University on their research with similar ALB traps.

APHIS has a number of additional ALB-related research projects, including defining the specific wood-chipping and grinding methods needed to kill all ALB in wood from infested areas, determining if treating trees with insecticides in the fall can be as effective as the current practice of treating trees in the spring, developing treatments for nursery stock that allow it to be moved safely out of ALB-infested areas, gaining better information on ALB’s ability to attack and develop on different kinds of trees, DNA analysis, and understanding how ALB infestations grow and spread in different types of habitats.  This kind of information can help the ALB program decide where to carry out key activities such as surveys and control treatments.

All ALB-related research supports the goal to eradicate the pest from the U.S. and protect hardwood forests and park lands, trees within affected communities, and many different forest product industries.

You can help.  When you are outside, take a look at a tree and see if it has round holes on the trunk and/or branches – these holes are caused by the adult beetle when it exits the tree.  The holes are a little bit smaller than a dime and just a bit bigger than the circumference of a pencil.  You may also see an adult beetle on the tree itself or surrounding surfaces.  If you see signs of ALB, please make a report online because the sooner we know about an ALB infestation, the sooner we can do something about it.

Help USDA Stop Invaders that Could Devastate U.S. Crops and Forests

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Greg Rosenthal, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, on April 3, 2014 at 1:00 PM

The coconut rhinoceros beetle, a new invasive species to Hawaii, can grow up to 2 inches long. Photo Credit: Chris Kishimoto, Hawaii Department of Agriculture

Big, creepy, and horned, the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) loves to feed on—and kill—coconut and other palms, banana plants, and more.  This invasive species, detected in Hawaii in December 2013, makes the perfect poster child for USDA’s Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month—a child only its mother could love.

How did it get here? And how can we prevent the spread of damaging, invasive species like this unwanted, oversized beetle?  These are great questions to consider as USDA kicks off Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month.  Throughout April, we’re raising public awareness about the threat of invasive species and informing people how to prevent their spread—so we’ll face fewer surprises like the CRB.

We haven’t determined exactly how this beetle snuck into Hawaii, but we have some good ideas.  It probably hitchhiked on containers, or with plants and plant material moving in cargo or passenger baggage.  From there, it could have spread on its own, or it could have kept on hitchhiking, in plants, plant material and debris, mulch, soil, or hidden on pallets.  People can unknowingly spread invasive pests across states, countries, continents, and oceans.

That’s why USDA created its Hungry Pests outreach program, to empower the public with the knowledge of how to Leave Hungry Pests Behind.  Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month is the perfect time to visit HungryPests.com, which has a wealth of visually compelling information on invasive species.  Use the site’s interactive maps to learn which pests are in your state and which ones threaten it.  Meet some destructive invaders, such as the giant African snail, Asian longhorned beetle, and citrus greening disease.  Most importantly, learn the Seven Ways to Leave Hungry Pests Behind so you don’t accidentally spread destructive pests like the CRB.

The stakes are extremely high.  Each year, invasive pests cost our economy billions of dollars by damaging crops, killing trees, requiring costly response efforts, and closing foreign markets to U.S. products from infested areas.  USDA and its partners work very hard to keep invasive pests out of the country and combat those that sneak in, but we can’t do it alone—we need your help.  So this month, be on the lookout for videos, articles and social media buzz on invasive species and how to stop their spread.  Start by visiting HungryPests.com, and join the conversation on the Hungry Pests Facebook Page.

In the meantime, in Hawaii, USDA and state officials are hanging traps to determine the size of the CRB-infested area, removing mulch piles that CRBs use as breeding sites, and informing the public how to spot and report the CRB.  If only someone had left that Hungry Pest behind.