With the fall about here, Michigan residents are being asked to keep an eye out for the invasive Asian longhorned beetle.
Michigan State University professor of forest entomology Deborah McCullough tells us the bug from China bores into trees, especially maples. In places where it’s been discovered, the Asian longhorned beetle has resulted in thousands of trees lost.
The beetle hasn’t appeared in Michigan, but it has been found in southern Ohio. McCullough says that’s why everyone should be watchful.
“We’re always kind of on the alert for it,” McCullough said. “It’s going to be one of those ‘4:30 on a Friday afternoon before a three-day weekend’ type of things. When you find it, all kinds of stuff breaks loose.”
The Asian longhorned beetle is about an inch to 1.5 inches long with a shiny, black body flecked with irregular, white blotches and a long antennae that has black and white bands. McCullough says there are few signs that it’s nearby. Just look at the trees.
“There’s a couple things to look for. One is the exit holes where an adult beetle would have come out, probably sometime this summer. Those exit holes, they’re pretty round because this is a fat beetle, it’s kind of got a good size belly side and kind of round across the top. They’re about the size of a dime. You should be able to stick a pencil in there.”
McCullough says there could also be course sawdust on tree branches or on the ground near a tree.
If you see an Asian longhorned beetle, she suggests snapping a photo or catching it and then contacting the Michigan Department of Agriculture, the USDA, or the DNR. They will respond.
The only way to stop the beetle is to destroy trees near where it’s been found, and McCullough says that has meant miles and miles of trees lost in multiple states.
You can learn more about the Asian longhorned beetle right here.
