The Valley Breeze

Destructive Asian longhorned beetle may already be here

By ETHAN SHOREY, Valley Breeze Staff Writer

>Buying local has taken on a whole new level of exigency.

If you fail to purchase your firewood from a local merchant this summer season, say those in the know, northern Rhode Island could quickly become a breeding ground for one of the most destructive pests North America has ever seen, one that could cause thousands of trees to be felled and devastate the nursery industry.

The matter is so urgent, they tell The Valley Breeze, in part because the Asian longhorned beetle may already be here.

"The likelihood of them being in Rhode Island is real because of our close proximity to Worcester (Mass.)," said Elizabeth Lopes-Duguay, spokeswoman for the Division of Agriculture with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. "They may be here, but we just haven't found them yet."

The cost of eliminating this invasive species has run into the millions of dollars in cleanup, eradication and replanting efforts in past outbreaks across the nation, according to media accounts. Last summer the bug caused millions of dollars in damage to the Worcester area and the loss of thousands of trees, decimating the environment there.

The Asian longhorned beetle can't travel far on its own - only about 400 yards to find a new host tree - say officials, but a comfy ride on the back of a pickup truck can give the bug just the help it needs to spread like wildfire.

Rhode Island residents who noticed leaves on their trees starting to resemble Swiss cheese this spring and may have attributed it to the infamous beetle shouldn't blame it just yet on the devilish little insects that have caused such a ruckus a few miles north, said Duguay.

June is too early for the Asian longhorned beetle, according to Duguay.

Longhorned beetles are not expected to re-emerge until at least mid-July due to the New England climate, said Duguay, and other pests are the more likely suspects when it comes to locally heavy leaf damage being observed in many northern Rhode Island towns, she said.

"I've been getting a number of calls and it would appear that an infestation of eastern tent caterpillars may be on the upswing," said Duguay last month. She indicated that "hotspot" breeding grounds of the eastern tent and other types of caterpillar seem to be on the rise.

Eastern tent caterpillars are those fuzzy little insects that live together in what look like giant white cocoons on the trees. They, along with the very similar forest tent caterpillas and gypsy moth caterpillar, combine in their destructive leaf-chewing habits at varying levels each spring.

The potentially catastrophic beetle situation in Rhode Island is so serious that it prompted dual bills in the Rhode Island Senate and House of Representatives this year that would declare the beetle a nuisance and make it a crime punishable by a $25,000 fine for bringing the species into the state.

According to a news release from the North Smithfield Conservation Commission, "Worcester's landscape has been drastically altered due to the more than 20,000 trees that have been removed during eradication."

"These tree-killing insects have no known predators in North America and the only way to stop their spread is to cut down and incinerate the wood of host trees," states the release.

Rhode Island has received a significant amount of financial assistance from the federal government to combat a potential outbreak, according to Duguay. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is attempting to eradicate the long-horned beetle due to the threat it poses to the nation's natural forests, according to multiple news reports.

Last fall, after the longhorned beetle was discovered in Worcester, representatives for the Rhode Island DEM removed and destroyed a half cord of firewood suspected of carrying insect larva from a home in Cranston. The homeowners there had received the wood from property they own in Worcester.

About the only way to get rid of the Asian longhorned beetle, according to the experts, is to grind up their new home in a wood chipper.

The longhorned beetle, which only entered the United States from China a few years ago, typically measures between one and one-and-a-half inches in length. Distinctive antennae double the length of the female body and are almost twice the length of male beetles.

Asian beetles emerge during the summer months, feeding on leaves and twigs, but may also be spotted around yards, patios, decks, on car hoods, or climbing the side of a house. The hardwood-loving beetle typically infests maple, birch, horse chestnut, poplar, willow and elm trees.

One misperception is that the adult beetle is responsible the major destruction of a tree. Instead, the adults lay their eggs just below the bark surface and then when the eggs hatch into larvae, the baby beetles then make their way down through the tree to emerge only near the end of their life cycle next summer. Even after the first heavy frost this fall kills off the adult longhorned beetle, said Duguay, the larvae will continue the damage through the winter months. Residents will know they have a beetle problem if they observe perfectly round, two-centimeter holes in their trees and "frass," or what looks like sawdust and is made up of tree shavings, sap, and insect excrement.

Rhode Island residents are encouraged to report any suspicious tree damage or potential insect sightings by calling a hotline number, 866-702-9938.

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