Hobbies And Interests
Tree Destruction
Asian Longhorned Beetles are classified as wood-boring beetles. Female beetles of this species chew their way into trees to lay their eggs. Young larvae burrow deeper into the heartwood of the tree to feed, which causes significant damage to the tree. Asian Longhorned Beetles are unusual in that they target both weakened and healthy trees, unlike most beetles which target dead or dying trees. The beetles attack a wide variety of trees, including maple, poplar, willow, elm, ash, birch, horse chestnut and boxwood.
Secondary Effects
The female beetles lay up to 32 eggs each, often all in the same tree. Trees that have been infested with egg-deposit holes and then fed on in multiple places deep within the tree are likely to become structurally weakened. A tree can be killed within one to two years in a heavy infestation. Additionally, the weakened state of trees infested with the beetle predisposes them to fall over and lose branches during wind and ice storms, which poses a threat to wildlife and humans.
Economic Impact
The Asian Longhorned Beetles pose an especially dangerous threat to the American economy in several forms. The beetles attach to both dying and healthy trees, which could mean loss of national parks and backyard trees if their infestation continues to grow unchecked. They have the potential to disrupt many major industries, including the lumber, maple syrup, commercial fruit and tourism industries.
According to Columbia University's Introduced Species Summary Project, accumulated losses from these industries could rise as high as $41 billion.
Risk of Spreading
The beetle is an invasive foreign species with the potential to spread throughout the entire United States. There are no natural controls in the United States to prevent the spread of this pest. The method used, at the time of publication, for eradicating the beetle populations and preventing their spread is to remove and destroy all susceptible trees within 200 meters of known infestation sites.