ALB Identification

The ALB has these unique physical characteristics:

• 1 to 1½ inches in length
• Long black antennae with white bands
• Shiny black body with small white markings
• 6 legs

Life Cycle of the ALB:
Each female will lay between 35 and 90 eggs in round indentation on the bark of a hardwood tree. The eggs hatch in 10-15 days and the larvae tunnel under the bark and into the wood where they eventually pupate.

The ALB has one generation per year. Over the course of a year, a larva will mature and then pupate near the surface, under a tree's bark.

The adults emerge from pupation sites by boring a tunnel in the wood and creating a round exit hole in the tree.

Adult beetles are usually present from late spring through fall, but can be found later in the fall if temperatures remain warm. Adults usually stay on the trees from which they emerged or they may disperse short distances to a new host tree to feed and reproduce.