The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is a wood-boring insect. It attacks and kills hardwood trees. ALB likes maple trees the most, but it also likes birches, buckeyes, elms, and willows. It will sometimes attack ash, golden raintree, katsura, London planetree, mimosa, mountain ash, and poplar trees too.
Infested trees do not recover and will die. They become safety hazards. Branches can drop and trees can fall over, especially during storms.
What the ALB Looks Like
Adult beetles have unique markings that make them easy to recognize. Browse our photo gallery below to see the ALB's most distinctive features.
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Body
Black shiny body with white spots and six legs
Antennae
Black and white and longer than the body
Mandibles
Strong jaws that can chew through trees
Lifecycle
One adult female can lay up to 90 eggs in their lifetime. Eggs are laid just beneath the bark into the growing layer of the tree. Once the eggs turn into larvae, they feed deep inside the tree trunk and branches. Larvae create tunnels in the tree as they feed. They will eventually pupate. Then, as adult beetles, they chew their way out of the tree, creating round exit holes. Once the beetles exit a tree, they feed on the leaves and bark before mating and laying eggs. Then, another generation of tree-killing beetles begins.
To see what the life stages of the ALB look like, check out our photo gallery below.
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Egg
White and about the size of a grain of rice
Larva
Cream-colored and can grow to 2 ½ inches long
Pupa
Cream-colored and about 1 ½ inches long with curled antennae
Learn More
To learn about the tree damage the beetle causes and what to look for, visit Find It.
For the latest information about eradicating ALB, visit Asian Longhorned Beetle. You can also sign up to receive the ALB eNewsletter.