Shade Tree Commission

Frank Servidio
Patrick Di Salvo
Lorraine Bauer
Neil Paulsen
Mary Jand Pierce
Sharon Bogie, Secretary
Council Liaison - Michael Mangan

Planting Guide

Tree Planting Detail

Shade Tree 5 Year Review

ARBOR DAY ACTIVITIES

One Bad Bug

Now is the time we all need need to come together to protect our trees! A deadly insect called the Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora Glabripennis) has significantly infested several towns in Middlesex and Union Counties in the Garden State. This beetle is a serious threat to trees here and across the U.S. The ALB is a large bullet-shapped beetle, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. Shiny and black with white spots, it has exceptionally long antennae that are banded with black and white rings. The elongated feet are black with a whitish-blue upper surface. Although its size and large mandibles cause it to appear threatening, the beetle is harmless to humans and pets. In the larval stage, the white, worm-like beetles bore into live deciduous hardwood trees causing excessive sap to flow from the wounds. Trees such as Maples, Birch, Horse Chestnut, Poplar, Willow, Elm, and seem to be their favorite hosts. Left undetected, the ALB will girlde the vascular system of trees eventually causing the tree to wither and die.

I ask you now as a home or property owner in New Jersey to assist State and federal officials in preventing further infestations. By cooperating with authorities, allowing them to survey trees, and allowing the removal of ALB-infested trees, you can help prevent further devestation. If your neighborhood has been placed in a quarantined area, please adhere to current regulations concerning the movement of host material, firewood, and other wood products.

Please take a moment after reading this article to visually inspect trees on your property. Keep a close watch for signs of distress that may occur as the result of an infestation. Indicators of distress may include dead leaves during normal seasonal conditions, excessive sawdust buildup near the trees, and random hooles in trees measuring approximately three-eighths of an inch or about the diameter of a dime.

Oval to round pits in the bark. These egg-laying sites or niches are chewed out by the female beetle, and a single egg is deposited in each niche.	Oozing sap. Sap may flow from egg niches, especially on maple trees, as the larvae feed inside the tree.
Accumulation of coarse sawdust around the base of infested trees, where branches meet the main stem, and where branches meet other branches. This sawdust is created by the beetle larvae as they bore into the main tree stem and branches.	Round holes, 3/8 inch in diameter or larger, on the trunk and on branches larger than 1½ inches in diameter. These exit holes are made by adult beetles as they emerge from the tree.

The Asian Longhorned Beetle has the potential to wreak havoc nationwide if left undetected in New Jersey, affecting such industries as lumber, maple syrup, nursery, commercial fruit and tourism.Spreading the word about the beetle is very important. According to Jeff Beach a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, "We've been fortunate to have the cooperation of local residents in finding these infestations. Getting the word out through the print and electronic media has helped immensely. For instance, a woman who saw a report on News 12 New Jersey on August 17 called our ALB hotline to say she had seen a beetle near her home. This lead our seach team to find a significant infestation on the Carteret-Rahway border much earlier than they might have." For more information about the Aisan Longhorned Beetle, call the NJ Department of Agriculture.

- By Tom Castronovo
   Gardener News, September 2004

Photo Sources:
USDA Forest Service
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service