|
Newsroom |
||||||
Suzanne Bond (301) 734-0602 USDA ANNOUNCES ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE SURVEY IN MASSACHUSETTS Washington, Sept. 4, 2008--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that surveys are under way, in and around Worcester, Mass., to determine the scope of an Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) infestation in the area. Inspection crews will survey the northern portion of Worcester and in the neighboring towns of Boylston, West Boylston, Holden and Shrewsbury. Crews will inspect ALB host tree species for signs of the beetle using a combination of ground work, specially trained tree climbers and bucket trucks. Signs of ALB infestation include: adult beetles themselves during the summer and until frost; the perfectly round exit holes (about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter) made by adult beetles when they emerge from trees; the pockmarks on tree trunks and branches where female beetles deposited eggs; frass (wood shavings and saw dust) produced by larvae feeding and tunneling; early fall coloration of leaves or dead branches and running sap produced by the tree at the egg laying sites, or in response to larval tunneling. To report signs or symptoms of ALB, please call the Massachusetts ALB program at (508) 799-8330. Reports in Massachusetts can also be made via the internet at MASSNRC.org. For more information on the ALB, please visit www.aphis.usda.gov. # Note to Reporters: USDA news releases, program announcements and media advisories are available on the Internet. Go to the APHIS news release page at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom. Also, anyone with an e-mail address can sign up to receive APHIS press releases automatically. Send an e-mail message to lyris@mdrdlyriss10.aphis.usda.gov and leave the subject blank. In the message, type
| |||||||