Introduced Beetles in the
United States
By Matthew Reitzel
Asian Longhorned Beetle
The scientific name is Anoplophora
glabripennis.
Native to China and Korea
First Found infestation in the United
States was in New York in 1996
Then found in Chicago in 1998
Identification
The adult is over an
inch in length
Coal black body with
yellow or white spots
Long antennae with
white bands
Trees affected
Yellow-poplar
Willow
Elm
Maple
Horsechestnut
Ash
There are many more but these are just a
few
Egg laying
The female beetle chews a
small hole into the cambium
through the bark and lays a
single egg that is about the
size of a grain of rice right
under the inner bark onto the
surface of the wood.
The hole is filled up with
digested wood which is know
as frass.
One female beetle can lay
about 35 eggs in their 42 day
life cycle
Larva
the incubation period is
about 11 days
After they hatch they feed
off of the cambium layer
After they shed their skin
twice they start boring
into the wood of the tree
into the water
transporting vessels
deeper inside of the tree
Detection of infestation
They only way of detection
is by visual examination of
the tree checking for
sawdust or sap coming
from slits left by the female
Treatment
The only way to treat
an infected tree is to
cut down the infected
tree.
Some places even
chip up the trees and
incinerate the chips.
Japanese Beetle
Popillia japonica
First found in the United States in
Philadelphia, PA in a nursery near
Riverton, NJ in 1916
It is believed that they came into the
United States in a shipment of iris bulbs
that came from Japan
Identification
The adult beetles are
about 3/8th of a inch long
with a copper-brown
color on their wings
They also have 5 small
white tufts project from
under the wing cover on
each side and a 6th pair
at the tip of the
abdomen.
Larva
The larva develop in
the earth and as
they are growing
they eat the roots of
various plants
They eat the roots of
turf and grass to
destroying some
yards.
Life Cycle
Adults emerge from the ground in late
May or early June
They live about 30 to 45 days
Numbers start to decline in late July but
can still be found as late as September
Trees affected
They feed on almost any tree ranging
from roses to poison ivy.
Odor and location in direct sun light seem
to play an important role in plant
selection
Signs of Infestation
Skeleton looking
appearance of the
leaves
They start at the
top of the plant
working their way
down eating all of
the tissue between
the veins.
Treatment
Insecticides
Natural predators
Collecting beetles in
traps
Plant selection
Emerald Ash Borer
Agrilus planipennis
Discovered in Detroit Michigan in the
summer of 2002.
The natural range is eastern Russia to
northern China, Japan, and Korea
Identification
Adults are dark metallic
green about ½ inch in
length and about a
1/16th of a inch wide
The larvae are creamy
white and found under
the bark
Life Cycle
They are only present from mid May to
late June
Life span is about 3 weeks
Eggs are laid soon after emerging. Each
egg is laid by its self
One female can lay 60-90 eggs
Larva
Spend the winter
months inside the
tree feeding in the
cambium layer.
As they emerge
out of the tree in
early summer they
leave a D shaped
exit hole
Damage done
The damage done to
the tree is not done
by the adult form but
by the larva
The larva feeds on
the inner bark of the
tree disrupting the
ability of nutrient and
water transport.
The adults just eat the
parts of the leaves
Signs of Infestation
The first sign is the
upper third starts to
die back, next year
the rest of the tree
dies back which is
followed by shoots
growing below the
dead trunk sections
They only attack ash
trees
Treatment
You can spray but it
does not work 100%
of the time
Any trees that if
affected is cut down
and disposed of
Also there is a
program that replaces
the open spaces
made from the dead
trees
Why Care
We should care because if we do not
these beetles will consume the entire
country killing off almost every tree to the
point where our landscape will become
barren and dead trees everywhere.