The Horns are Here! By Josie Redding

The Story In 2008 a homeowner in Worchester, MA called a tree guy to look at the trees in front of her house that were covered with large black bugs. The tree guy wasn’t sure what kind of bug they were and contacted the state environmental department. The state determined that it was the Asian longhorn beetle, a bad bug. It was the first time it had been found in Massachusetts. TV and newspaper reporters showed up at the house to cover the story.

The Story – Part 2 A neighborhood boy was ridding his bike by when all the cameras were at the house and asked what was going on. The reporter told the boy about the bug, and the boy said, “Oh those, every baseball season there are so many that fall out of the trees, they mess up the games!” The park where the boy played baseball was inspected, and many more trees were found that were infested with the Asian longhorn beetle.

What is ALB? The Asian longhorn beetle (ALB) is a beetle that is native to China. It is shiny black with white spots and sometimes has blue on the tips on the antennae. It lives in trees, digging a hole in the bark to lay eggs. The eggs hatch and the larvae eat wood to grow

Why is ALB Harmful? ALB can lay dozens of eggs in one tree so they spread The larvae chew the wood and make tunnels making the wood weak The weak wood can break and fall on someone. ALB’s favorite trees are maples (there are a lot of maples in New England)

How to Identify ALB Look for the bug in June & July when they come out of the tree in the crown Look for holes in the trunk and branches that are perfectly round and 1 cm in diameter Watch for Frass, like sawdust, at the base of the tree or in the branches

What’s being done about ALB? The US Department of Agriculture is working with the state and the city of Worchester to cut down all infested trees. All trees within ½ mile of a infested tree is inspected for ALB All favorite trees of ALB(maples, elms, poplars) are also cut down

How can you help? Look for the bug in June and July Look for the holes in the crown of trees (Maple trees!) Have your parent call the CT Department of Environmental Protection at , if you think you see the bug. DVwDfENxM&feature=player_embedded