It's ANOTHER Bad Bug!

Remember the hoopla about the EAB (Emerald Ash Borer)?  It was certainly justified hoopla, because that bug wreaked havoc in our area.  The city of Fort Wayne has lost about 15 THOUSAND street trees and twice that in the parks and recreational areas.  Lost trees in residential areas number into the hundred thousands.  The EAB absolutely decimated Ash trees in our urban forest.  Because we forecasted warnings early, however, some of our customers were able to save the Ash Trees in their yards.  As the impact of this bug wains in our area, these trees will continue to flourish and provide beauty for their owners.  That just goes to show that the axiom, “forewarned is forearmed” is true in tree-care!
The next bug we’re watching is the ALB (Asian Longhorned Beetle).  If you receive our newsletter, you’ve already gotten an initial warning about this new pest, and you can find out more information throughout our website.  Where the EAB attacked only Ash trees, the ALB is poised to make an even greater impact because its preferences are more diverse.  Trees susceptible to the ALB include:

Maples
Buckeyes and Horsechestnuts
Birches
Willows
Elms

There are a few other, rarer, host trees, too, such as:

Mimosa
Hackberry
Ash
Goldenrain Tree

Sycamore
Cottonwood
Sycamore
Poplar

If you have any of these trees on your property, you should start looking around for the ALB.  When doing a tree-check, you’ll want to look for the beetles themselves as well as the entrance and exit holes.  We have included some pictures here so you know what you’re looking for.

This is a picture of the ALB. You can see that its antennae are as long as its body. It is black with a scattering of white spots on its wing covers. This bug is about 2.5 inches long (including antennae).

Here you can see a picture of the ALB next to its exit hole. These holes are very nearly perfectly round and are about the size of a dime. (Credit: NewYorkInvasiveSpecies.info)