The Asian Long-Horned Beetle is a large black beetle with white spots. They are around an inch to an inch and a half long. Its antennae are longer than its body length, are banded with white and have eleven segments. Adults have wings and can fly for short distances.
Originally from Asia the beetle is spread when infested trees and wood products are moved and may have arrived in New York state in wooden packing material shipped from China. It has since been found in New Jersey, Illinois, and Toronto, Canada.
Adults feed on plant shoots. Females bite holes into tree bark and lay their eggs into it. When the eggs hatch the larvae bore into the tree further feeding on the wood until they reach the heartwood where they will pupate until spring. In spring the adult beetle will hatch from the pupae and chew its way out of the tree leaving dime-sized holes. New adults emerge yearly.
They prefer maples, but will also eat horse chestnuts, poplars, willows, elms, and mulberries. The beetles are very destructive and heavy infestations can kill trees.
They have few natural predators in North America and the only real way to deal with an infestation is to cut down the trees and destroy the wood.
To prevent possible transportation of invasive species please do not transport firewood from one area to another, especially over distances greater than 50 miles.
Asian Long-horned beetles are often confused with White-spotted Sawyers, this website has a good comparison of the two: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/alb/pubs/alb_wss/alb_wss.htm
If you believe that you have an Asian Long-Horned Beetle contact your local forestry officials, Cooperative extension or forestry and agriculture department of your local college.
Pictures of all life stages and a great deal of information can be found at: http://www.invasive.org/browse/subject.cfm?sub=2178
(From: http://www.asian-longhorned-beetle.com/index.html and
http://www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/fhm/pages/firewood.html and http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4TH/KKHP/1INSECTS/asianlhbeetle.html)
