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ODA Plant Division, Insect Pest Prevention and Management
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Asian longhorned beetle
Asian longhorned beetle
Identification of adults
Identification of ALB damage
Preferred hosts
Annual surveys in Oregon
Other sites of interest
Asian longhorned beetle
Asian longhorned beetle
Asian longhorned beetle
Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis)
 
The Asian Longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is native to China and Korea. ALB larvae are wood borers and feed in both the sapwood and heartwood. Unlike most longhorned beetles, ALB is a serious pest of hardwoods because it can attack and kill healthy, as well as stressed, trees. Maples, willows, poplars and horsechestnut are the trees most commonly attacked.
 
Established populations of ALB were found in New York (Brooklyn and Amityville) in mature maple and horse chestnut trees in 1996 and Chicago in 1998. New populations continue to be found near these areas. Eradication programs, including removal and destruction of all infested trees, are in progress. ALB has also been intercepted in British Columbia, Washington, and California in solid wood packing material from China. With a high risk of introduction, ALB has the potential to become a serious pest of hardwoods in urban, rural, and forest environments throughout the U.S. Since 1997, a visual survey for ALB in Oregon has been conducted each year to detect any early infestations of this insect.
Identification of adults
ALB and Oregon natives
ALB is at top of photo with Oregon natives underneath
Identification of adult beetles
 
Adult ALB, although unlikely to be seen, are large (about 3/4-1 1/4 inches long), black with white spots and very glossy (Fig. 2). It is called the "starry night" beetle in China due to its coloration. The antennae are longer than the beetle's body and are banded black-and-white. Adults may be crawling over the trunks and branches of host trees, or possibly flying. There are several native beetles which are roughly the same size and color as ALB, so any suspicious beetles should be captured if at all possible and placed in a jar or film canister (NOT plastic bags - they'll chew through!). Place a label that includes the address and date inside the container and notify the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
Identification of ALB damage
Identification of ALB damage
 
  1. Large (about 3/8" diameter) ROUND emergence holes where adult ALB have emerged from the tree (Photo 5, ALB Pest Alert). A good quick-and-dirty way to tell whether holes are the right size is whether a pencil fits into a hole. If not, the hole is too small to have been caused by ALB.
  2. Oval-to-round wounds or scars on the bark where female ALB have chewed out a place to lay eggs. The wounds are pale when fresh but darken with age. Sap flows and stains are often associated with oviposition scars. These oviposition scars are about 3/8" long and may occur in a row with about 3 - 5" between scars.
  3. Piles of coarse "sawdust" (caused by adult beetles chewing their way out from inside the tree) around the base of trees or where branches meet the main stem.
  4. Heavy sap flows running down trunks and branches, from egg-laying sites as the larvae feed inside the tree.
  5. Wilting or browning leaves at branch tips or dead twigs/branches.
 
There are several types of non-ALB damage frequently reported. Some native carpenterworms and wood-boring beetles prefer the dead wood of tree scars and wounds. This type of damage is virtually confined to the exposed dead wood. Holes made by woodpeckers searching for grubs under bark are also frequently reported. These holes are often in neat rows and are too small for ALB. They also do not extend very deep into the wood, unlike ALB or wood-boring beetle galleries. Native wood-boring beetles also use many of the same trees preferred by ALB, but their emergence holes are generally smaller and are often confined to dead or rotting wood. ALB prefer healthy trees and sound wood. However, REMEMBER: we´d much rather you report damage caused by non-ALB than to omit reporting true ALB damage!
Preferred hosts
Preferred hosts
 
The following are the preferred hosts of ALB:
  1. All native and ornamental maples (including Norway, boxelder, big leaf, silver, sugar, vine and Japanese maples), poplars (including aspens and cottonwoods), willows, horsechestnut, and birches.
  2. Elms, sycamores, ashes, locusts, and fruit trees.
 
Of these trees, the following tree locations are particularly susceptible to ALB:
  1. Trees that are out in the open and away from other trees.
  2. Trees at the edge of tree groupings.
  3. Trees with crowns entirely surrounded by other trees.
 
 
Annual surveys in Oregon
Annual surveys in Oregon
 
ODA personnel have been conducting visual inspections in Oregon's counties specifically for ALB since 1997. Visual surveys are also conducted of areas where businesses import solid wood packing material from Asia. No ALB have been reported.
If you see this beetle or find trees with signs of damage, please:
  • Note the date and location where you found the beetle or damaged tree.
  • Capture the beetle and place it in a jar in the freezer to kill it and store the dead beetle.
  • Immediately report the information by calling the Oregon Department of Agriculture at: (503) 986-4636 or 1-800-525-0137.
Other sites of interest
 
 
Page updated: February 19, 2008

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