The Asian Longhorned Beetle

 

Asian Longhorned Beetle Definition:

The Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) is native to North-East Asia. This destructive insect is a very serious threat to the hardwood trees of North America. Thousands of trees have already been cut down under federal quarantine in the urban forests of New York City and Chicago. The first Asian Longhorned Beetle infestation in Canada was detected in Toronto and Vaughan in September 2003. Since then, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) implemented an intensive eradication program with assistance from the City of Toronto, City of Vaughan, Region of York, Toronto and Region Conservation, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Canadian Forestry Service and United States Department of Agriculture. For more information visit the CFIA website at: www.inspection.gc.ca. You can also find more details at www.toronto.ca/trees in the online version of the “Trees under Threat-the Asian Longhorned Beetle in Greater Toronto” booklet.
This insect has four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa, and adult beetle. After mating, female beetles lay eggs in oval wounds made on the tree bark.  Larvaestart to feed by tunneling through living bark and fresh sapwood into the central heartwood. The egg and larvae are over-wintering stages. Pupationoccurs in the spring near the bark.
The new adult beetlesemerge in July through perfectly round, 1cm wide exit holes. The life cycle varies from 1 to 3 years in living trees, but may take up to 7 years in solid wood packing materials used in overseas shipping. In Toronto’s climate Asian Longhorned Beetle completes its life cycle in one or two years.
Adult beetles are 2 to 3cm long and shiny jet-black with numerous white spots on their backs. Their long black and white antennae are segmented and may be up to 2 ½ times their body length. Adults Asian Longhorned Beetle may be seen outdoors during the warmer parts of the day from summer through late autumn. They are capable of flying, but do not go very far. They are usually seen feeding on tree leaves or branches before mating.

The Asian Loghorned Beetle Description:

The shiny black, bullet-shaped adult is about 1 to 1.5 inches long with irregular sized and shaped white spots. Its black-and-white banded antennae are usually longer than its body. The elongated feet are black with a whitish-blue upper surface. Adults Asian Longhorned Beetle can be seen from late spring through fall depending on climate and geographical location.
Although its size and large mandibles may cause it to appear threatening, the beetle is harmless to humans and pets. Adult females of the Asian Longhorned Beetle use their mandibles to chew a pit and then deposit  an egg into it. Each female lives several weeks and will lay up to 90 eggs. The larva tunnels under the bark, eventually tunneling deep into the tree. Larval tunneling produces frass that consists of feces and wood fibers resembling sawdust. The large, light cream-colored larva that lives entirely within the wood of trees is the most damaging stage of the beetle. Typically, the life cycle of the Asian Longhorned Beetle is completed in one year.

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