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It's the larvae which damages trees.
© Kenneth Law |
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"Beetle Busters" must fumigate the infested crates.
© APHIS |
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The Identification Puzzle
Because its larva closely resembles those of many native species, identification of the Asian longhorn beetle is tricky. Members of this family of wood-boring beetles are found all over the world, but relatively little is known about the genus, Anoplophora. Agricultural Research Service entomologist Steven W. Lingafelter, an expert on this genus, notes that most of the thousands of native species of long-horned wood-boring beetles cause little harm to living trees. "They consume dead wood, making them important primary decomposers in our forest ecosystems. However, some--like the cottonwood borer of the Great Plains, Plectrodera scalator, a close relative to the Asian longhorn beetle, have caused millions of dollars in losses to U.S. trees."
Can the Invasion Be Stopped?
The Asian longhorn beetle is believed to have been imported to the U.S. while in the larval stage, buried inside in wooden crates and support braces used to transport cargo in ships from Asia. Early identification and cargo fumigation have so far prevented the beetle from getting a foothold in other parts of the country, but some scientists estimate that only about 20 percent of the insect larvae are being intercepted and that we are on the brink of a major epidemic.
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