The following information was given to members of the American Camp Association from the USDA. We wanted to pass it along to our campers who love trees as much as we do! Visit www.BeetleBusters.info to report a sighting or for more information, or call their toll free hotline at 1-866-702-9938. If you would like more information, please feel free to email Rhonda.J.Santos@aphis.usda.gov

You may already be familiar with the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), an invasive insect that feeds on certain species of hardwood trees, eventually killing them. The pest most likely arrived in the United States unknowingly inside wood packing material from Asia. Since its discovery here in 1996, the beetle has caused tens of thousands of trees to be destroyed in Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Illinois.

The beetle threatens our nation’s camps and recreational areas, our forests, and suburban and urban trees. If it becomes established in the United States, the invasive insect has the potential to cause more damage than Dutch elm disease, chestnut blight and gypsy moth combined, destroying millions of acres of our hardwoods, including national forests and parks and even our own backyard trees. The recreation, timber, nursery, and maple syrup industries alone could suffer severe losses, not to mention the environmental and ecological impacts.
It is my love of the outdoors and of trees that keeps me passionate about my work with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). I believe in the mission to save trees from this insect. Combined with your commitment to provide discovery, education, and service, I’m hoping we can stop this insect. After all, an ALB infestation is a sad tale for trees, since the trees are essentially being eaten alive. 

Here’s how this insect kills a tree from the inside out: in her lifetime the adult female chews up to 90 egg sites directly on the bark of a tree and that’s where she will lay her eggs. After the eggs hatch in roughly 2 weeks, the worm-like larvae tunnel into the growing layers of the tree. After several weeks, the larvae tunnel into the woody tissue of the tree, where they continue to feed and develop over the winter. This feeding and burrowing causes the tree to weaken and eventually die. In the spring, beetle larvae develop into an adult insect. In the early summer and warmer months, the adult beetles chew their way out, leaving dime-sized, perfectly round exit holes, starting their life cycle all over
again to then continue their devastating effects.

Now here’s the most important part. We need your help. You are our first line of defense. Staff members and campers alike: we need your eyes to be on the lookout for signs of damage and the insect itself. And of course, please be aware of the risks of transporting forest pests when moving firewood. Adult beetles are most active during the summer and early fall. They can be seen on trees, branches, walls, outdoor furniture, cars, sidewalks and in pool filters. While the pest may appear threatening, it is harmless to humans and pets. With these unique characteristics, it’s easy to identify:
• 1 to 1 ½ inches in length
• Long antennae banded in black and white (longer than the insect’s
body)
• Shiny, jet black body with random white spots
• Six legs
• Legs may appear bluish in color

In addition to looking for the beetle, you can search for signs of
infestation, including:
• Shallow divits in the bark where the eggs are laid
• Dime-sized (1/4″ or larger), perfectly round exit holes in the tree
• Sawdust-like materials, called frass, on the ground and the branches
• Sap seeping from wounds in the tree

There is a wealth of information about the beetle that can be found online at www .BeetleBusters.info. There is even curriculum available to make searching for and learning about the invasive insect a fascinating experience for young people. I urge you to make raising awareness of this pest part of your camp program.

Unfortunately, a successful eradication involves very difficult realities. The toughest of these includes the removal of the infested trees, and potentially, other exposed trees. This is not only a complicated, but an emotional issue. When the goal is to protect our nation’s natural resources from threats, the concept of removing trees is a dif ficult one. But the threat from this invasive insect is far too severe to do nothing. The 13 genera of trees the insect is known to infest make up a sizeable portion of the trees in our nation.
Ash Katsura
Birch London planetree
Elm Maple
Goldenrain tree Mimosa
Hackberry Mountain ash
Horsechestnut Poplar
Katsura Willow
We’re in this fight together. If you see something, say something. Help stop the Asian longhorned beetle’s destruction by raising awareness about the pest and encouraging campers to report any signs or symptoms of an infestation immediately.