Take 10 to check trees for invasive Asian longhorned beetle


Heading outdoors? Check trees for invasive Asian longhorned beetle
Whether you spend time walking, hiking or exploring neighborhood parks, you can help protect Michigan’s trees by spending a little of your outdoors time checking for signs of the Asian longhorned beetle. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared August as “Tree Check Month.” Looking for the beetle and the damage it causes is one way you can protect trees and help the USDA’s efforts to eliminate this beetle from the United States.
The Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources are joining the USDA in asking people to take just 10 minutes this month to check trees in yards, parks and forests for the beetle or any signs of damage.
The Asian longhorned beetle, or ALB for short, is a non-native wood-boring beetle considered invasive in North America because it attacks 12 types of hardwood trees, including maples, elms, horse chestnuts, birches and willows. There are no predators or diseases in North America to keep ALB populations in check. In its larval stage, the insect feeds inside tree trunks and branches during the colder months. The beetle creates tunnels as it feeds, and then it chews its way out as an adult in the warmer months.
Infested trees do not recover and eventually die. They also can become safety hazards since branches can drop and trees can fall, especially during storms.