The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) has become a major concern in New England, with Gov. John Baldacci of Maine proclaiming August as Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Month. Considered an invasive species, the beetle poses serious threats to many types of hardwood trees.
Beetle feeds on tree’s nutrients
The beetle, which measures 1-1½” as an adult, is recognizable by a long antennae and a black body with irregular white spots on its elytra or wing covers. During the larval stage, the ALB bores deep into a tree’s heartwood where it feeds on the tree’s nutrients. The tunneling damages and eventually kills the tree causing widespread mortality of poplar, willow, elm and maple.