Press Releases
Daniel J. Parry (301) 734-3255
Jerry Redding (202) 720-6959
USDA TO CONTINUE ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE ERADICATION EFFORTS
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2002—The U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication Program will innoculate
120,000 susceptible trees this spring to prevent further infestation
of the Asian longhorned beetle in New York. The insecticide imidacloprid
has displayed promising results, and USDA will continue to use it to
treat a greater portion of the nearly 120 square miles of quarantine
area.
Treatments are monitored by project officials and are administered
by injecting the insecticide into the tree through small capsules placed
at the tree base. The insecticide is dispersed throughout the tree through
its circulatory system. This enables the insecticide to reach Asian
longhorned beetle adults and larvae as they feed on leaves and small
twigs and beneath the bark of host trees. Imidacloprid is currently
used in store-bought lawn and garden products and by lawn service companies
to kill lawn grubs and in some domestic pet treatments to kill fleas.
The Asian longhorned beetle, native to China, bores into healthy hardwood
trees and feeds on living tree tissue during the larval stage. Later,
throughout the summer, adult beetles emerge from exit holes and briefly
feed on the small twigs of host trees. To fight this destructive pest,
agriculture officials removed and destroyed more than 5,700 trees in
and around New York City and State including the recent infestation
in New York's Central Park. Tree destruction has been the only method
for controlling this beetle since its initial discovery in New York
in 1996. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service officials
are optimistic that using imidacloprid will decrease beetle populations
and future tree loss but advise that, if a tree is found to be infested,
it will be removed regardless of treatment. The goal is to eradicate
this highly destructive insect from New York before it can establish
itself elsewhere.
For more information, visit the APHIS Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov
and click on Asian longhorned beetle under "Hot Issues." To report a
sighting of the Asian longhorned beetle, please call toll free (866)
265-0301.
APHIS, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and
the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation participate in
the Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication Program.
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