The U.S. and Ohio Departments of Agriculture want you to know about an invasive species which threatens our trees.
The USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is currently conducting surveys in Bethel, Ohio for the Asian longhorned beetle. Bethel is located 30 miles southeast of Cincinnati.
First discovered in the U.S. in 1996, Asian longhorned beetles attack several species of trees including maple, willow, horsechestnut, buckeye, and American elm. While in its larvae
stage, the beetle kills trees by tunneling into large branches and the trunk.
Ohio is the fifth state to detect ALB, which APHIS confirmed in Bethel after a citizen reported finding unusual damage in three maple trees to an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry service forester. Previous infestations sites, where the beetles are being successfully contained, include Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
The Ohio Dept. of Agriculture urges citizens to report any signs of the Asian longhorned beetle by calling the toll free hotline 855-252-6450.
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