Pest Alert: Asian Longhorned Beetle

The Asian longhorned beetle is large (1-1½” long) with white spots and long antennae. This insect is native to China and Korea, and was found in the U.S. in 1996. Established populations in the U.S. are found in Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio, and a new infestation was recently found in Charleston County, South Carolina. Beetles are often inadvertently moved to new places in cut firewood. Adults lay eggs in many hardwood species (especially maples), and larvae burrow into and develop in the wood and cambium. Larval tunneling greatly reduces the tree’s strength, making infested trees windthrow hazards. Adults chew perfectly round (~¼” diameter) holes when they exit the tree. Trees infested with Asian longhorned beetle may show unseasonable yellowing or dropping leaves, sap seeping from the bark, or dead or dying branches. There is no known treatment once a tree is infested.