Asian Longhorned Beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis

The Asian longhorned beetle is a native of China. It was first found in 1996 in New York City and Amityville, NY (on Long Island). Since then, it has also been found in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago and in two suburbs of Chicago, Summit and Addison, IL. Scientists think that the beetle got into the United States via the wood of crates and pallets used in shipping cargo from China.

Asian longhorned beetles are big, showy insects, shiny and coal black with white spots. Adults are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. On their head is a pair of very long feelers (antennae) that are black with white rings. These antennae are even longer than the insect's body.

This beetle has a voracious appetite for wood. It especially likes the taste of maple trees: Norway, sugar, silver, and red maple are among its favorite foods. But the Asian longhorned beetle doesn't limit its menu. It also feeds on horsechestnut, poplar, willow, elm, mulberry, and black locust. Females of this species chew into the bark and lay eggs. When the eggs hatch, the immature beetles, which look like big white worms, chew their way farther into the tree. When they mature, the full-grown beetles chew their way out of the tree. The beetle life cycle leaves trees riddled with holes, oozing sap.

The only way to get rid of Asian longhorned beetles is to cut down, chip, and burn the trees. Since 1996, more than 3,000 trees have been destroyed to eradicate this pest in New York and Illinois. This beetle's appetite for hardwood could spell destruction for America's trees and could change landscapes for generations to come.