We learn from guides and books but we also really appreciate the in-person lessons when we can get them. So it was in the spirit of meeting and chatting with some experts in bug identification that we signed up for a workshop to learn more about the creepy crawly types. The Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) specifically.
The thing about this beetle that might seem like a non sequitur for us is that it is not in Maine. And no one wants to see it in Maine. But everyone should know about this bug because it would be devastating to the several species of trees (and forestry-based businesses) in Maine if it gets here.
The class we took was taught by a couple of Department of Agriculture folks who received a grant to do an Invasive Forest Pest Outreach and Survey about the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB). The girls and I spent an interesting day learning about the history, behavior and identification of this beetle as well as other non-native species.
Here's a few interesting tidbits we learned...
* The ALB (not native to the US) first arrived in solid wood packing material used to import goods from Asian countries about 20 years ago.
* The first infestation of these beetles was actually in Jersey City, a busy US shipping port.
* Current infestations being eradicated are in New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts. It's the Massachusetts arrival that has everyone in Maine concerned because MA lost 25,000 trees in Worcester that changed that area's neighborhood landscapes.
* Firewood is a big threat because it's likely going to be the way this beetle will come to Maine. Many uninformed people from Massachusetts (and other states) bringing a few logs of firewood to their campsites here is all it would take.
* The Maine State Legislature passed a law earlier this year making it illegal to bring wood over the state's border in hopes of preventing (or at the very least, slowing down) the ALB, as well as some other bugs and tree diseases, from coming here.
* The only way experts have found to manage an ALB infestation it total eradication. That means cutting down (and chipping to 1/2" small) every single tree affected (and some that aren't to cover the bases). So the earlier an ID of an infestation is made, the faster experts can contain the problem so it limits how many trees are lost.
* The introduction of the ALB in Maine could have major financial implications to any businesses related to hardwood trees (lumber, paper, etc.).
* Tree identification without leaves so you have to rely only on the bark as an indicator of species is darn hard!
It's the larvae stage that causes the most damage (and inevitable death) to a tree. The mama beetle burrows a small hole to lay her eggs and then the larvae burrow in deeper to eat (the wood). Then as it grows (it takes about 2 years to mature), it makes tunnels in the trunk. If there are enough larvae, it can kill a tree by the time the beetle is mature.
There are some beetles native to Maine that look like the Asian Longhorn Beetle. And although you look at the picture below and think they look pretty different, I have learned - along with my kids - that identifying something in a classroom with an expert is *very* different than being out in the field on your own.
The ALB is on the left, the white-spotted sawyer is on the right. Photos from maine.gov ALB Look alikes page
One of the ways the outreach educators taught us to identify these buggers is to look at a trees for a tell-tale sign of their life in or around it. They make a perfectly round hole in the trunk when they are mature (and no longer larvae but their actual black beetle self) to exit.
IDing the adult beetles is tricky because their Maine look-alike, the white-backed sawyer, makes the same kind of holes.
During our tree identification activity outside someone from the class pointed out some little round holes in a fallen trunk and wanted to know if they were in fact the damage from the ALB or the white-spotted sawyer. The instructor said it was definitely the work of the sawyer because there were rectangle entry holes next to the round exit holes. If it were actually an ALB, we would have found only round holes.
This is a very specific difference but again, when you're on your own in the field it can be a little trickier to make a call. And that's why the educators reiterated all day long to simply call the ALB hotline so they can send an expert out to access the situation. (You can make a report here if you find tree damage you think is caused by this beetle - www.maine.gov/agriculture/pi/pestsurvey/pestinfo/ALB/ALB.htm)
- CLARIFICATION: Our instructor for this class, Anne Bills the Invasive Forest Insect Outreach Coordinator from the Maine Department of Agriculture, offered a clarification for the above holes you might see in a tree in Maine and I wanted to make sure I posted it. "The holes in the photos really do look just like ALB damage, and the reason we can rule out ALB is that it is softwood (coniferous), which ALB doesn’t attack. If the logs were hardwood that type of damage is exactly what we would like people to report, even though it does not necessarily mean the damage would have been from ALB (could be from native hardwood borer). I did not hear the comment about the rectangular holes, but I really do think it would take an expert to tell the difference." So people should report holes like this if they see them in Maine!
And less you think my girls like bugs and that I am fortunate to have girls who would attend a class such as this, let me assure you they can be typical females with the jumping and screaming on occasion about the creepy crawlies (particularly flying buzzing insects, which is understandable since none of us will ever likely get over our yellow jacket swarming incident). I feel the same as they do. But the girls, like me, care about their natural environment more than their creature comfort and the reason we decided to attend this class.
And I will admit, we all left excited to find look-alike indicators so now we can look at holes in a tree and actually know the cause/culprit of some of them.
If you're interested in attending a training yourself (or with your older tween or teen) check out their website and look for the - Invasive Forest Insect outreach training program.
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