Asian Longhorned Beetle

Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, is a recently introduced pest from China. It is believed to have entered the United States inside solid wood packing material from China (BROKEN-LINK USDA - Forest Service 2002). It was first discovered in the United States in 1996 in New York. In 1998 an infestation was found in Chicago. In 2002 Asian longhorned beetle was found in New Jersey. Eradication programs have been initiated and it is yet undetermined whether this pest exists elsewhere in the United States.

Adult Asian longhorned beetles are 1 to 1 1/2 inches in length with antennae that can be 1-2 1/2 times their body length (BROKEN-LINK USDA - Forest Service 2002). Adult bodies are black with white mottles. The antennae have a distinctive black and white banding pattern. The feet often have a bluish tinge. After mating, females chew dime-sized depression in the bark of hardwoods to lay their eggs in (BROKEN-LINK USDA - APHIS 2004). After hatching, the larvae bore into the tree to feed upon the vascular tissue. The larvae continue to bore into the wood of the tree, forming large tunnels and galleries. The larvae pupates in the wood near the surface. The newly formed adults emerge through large, perfectly round exit holes (3/8 inch in diameter). Emergence usually occurs from June to October (BROKEN-LINK USDA - Forest Service 2002).

The damage resulting from an Asian longhorned beetle infestation reduces the commericial value of the trees and can kill trees if the infestation is severe (BROKEN-LINK USDA - APHIS 2004). Many species of hardwoods can serve as hosts (BROKEN-LINK USDA - APHIS 2004), including:

• Maples (Acer)
• Horse chestnuts, buckeyes (Aesculus)
• Willows (Salix)
• Elms (Ulmus)
• Birch (Betula)

The major host species for Asian longhorned beetle are usually not a dominant overstory species in southern Appalachian forests. However, they can comprise a significant proportion of the overstory, increase biodiversity, and are important ecologically. If Asian longhorned beetles further expand their range and become established in large forests, the potential exists for it to spread into the southern Appalachians. Infestations could reduce biodiversity and alter species compositions of southern Appalachian forests. The extent and severity of the damage is unknown.