(WWJ) Michiganders are once again being asked to keep an eye out for some creepy crawlers that could do damage to the state’s environment and economy.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared August “Tree Check Month," as it's the best time of year to spot the invasive Asian longhorned beetle.
The Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, the DNR are joining the USDA in asking Michiganders to take just ten minutes this month to check trees around their homes for the beetle or any signs of the damage it causes.
The Asian longhorned beetle was first detected in the U.S. in 1996, by a Brooklyn, New York resident. Since then, the invasive beetle has been found in 20 locations in six states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio and South Carolina.
How did they get here? Officials say the Asian longhorned beetles likely arrived hidden in untreated wood packaging material like pallets and crates before the development of international standards for treating these materials to prevent the spread of insects.
Because adult beetles fly only short distances, it is likely that human movement of infested logs, firewood or other wood products has contributed to the spread of Asian longhorned beetle within the U.S.
Although this invasive beetle has not yet been discovered in Michigan, experts say it is crucial we keep an eye out for it.
“You can help us protect more trees and eliminate the beetle from the United States. If you take a walk, take a look,” said Josie Ryan, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s national operations manager for the ALB Eradication Program. “The sooner we spot the beetle, the sooner we can help stop its spread.”
You can help
Officials say discovering early signs of infestation can prevent potential widespread damage to Michigan's forest resources, urban landscapes and maple syrup production.
Look for signs
Whenever you are outdoors this month, take time to look at the trees around you for signs of the Asian longhorned beetle, including:
Round exit holes about the diameter of a pencil found in tree trunks and branches.Shallow oval or round scars in the bark, where the adult beetle chewed an egg site.Material that looks like wood shavings lying on the ground around the tree or in the branches.Dead branches or limbs falling from an otherwise healthy-looking tree.
Look for the beetle
Adult Asian longhorned beetles are distinctively large, ranging from 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches in length, not including their long antennae. The beetles are shiny black, with random white blotches or spots, and their antennae have alternating black and white segments. They have six legs that can be black or partly blue, with blue coloration sometimes extending to their feet.
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Be aware of look-alikes
Several beetles and bugs native to Michigan often are mistaken for the Asian longhorned beetle.
The white-spotted pine sawyer has a distinctive white spot below the base of its head – between its wings – and is brownish in color.
The cottonwood borer is about the same size as the Asian longhorned beetle and is also black and white, but has a pattern of single, broad black stripes down each wing, and its antennae are all dark.
The northeastern pine sawyer reaches up to 2 inches in length, has very long antennae and is gray in color.
The eastern eyed click beetle has distinctive eye circles on the back of its head. It rolls over when threatened, then clicks and makes a flipping movement to get back on its feet.
Anyone who spots an Asian longhorned beetle, or a tree that appears to have been damaged by it in Michigan is asked to report it. If possible, capture the beetle in a jar, take photos, record the location and report it as soon as possible at AsianLonghornedBeetle.com or contact MDARD at 800-292-3939 or MDA-info@Michigan.gov.
More information can be found at Michigan.gov/ALB.
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