Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) doing to control the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB)?

A. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), with State and local cooperators, treats host trees not infested with ALB during spring and fall months within quarantine areas. Uninfested ALB host trees within a minimum of one-eighth of a mile from infested tree locations are treated in the ALB-infested areas of Illinois, New York, and New Jersey. Tree species receiving treatments for potential ALB infestations include maple, birch, horsechestnut, willow, elm, and ash.

The Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication Project is comprised of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, City of New York Parks and Recreation, Illinois Department of Agriculture, Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation, and New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

Q. What insecticide is used?

A. The generic name of the insecticide is imidacloprid, one of a group of systemic chloronicotinyl insecticides having soil, seed, and foliar uses for the control of insects, including rice hoppers, aphids, thrips, whiteflies, termites, turf insects, and some beetles. Approved for ALB program use, the insecticide has proven to reduce beetle populations in research completed in China and the United States.

Q. How are the insecticide injections made to the tree?

A. Imidacloprid is applied through either tree trunk or soil injections under USDA supervision. Trunk injections are applied directly into the trunk of the tree. Soil injections are applied directly into the soil around the base of the tree. The number of injections (trunk or soil) required per tree is dependent on the size of the tree. Soil injections can be applied during the spring and fall. With both methods of injection, the insecticide moves upward into stems, twigs, and foliage. The intent of the injection treatments is to deliver the active ingredient of the pesticide quickly from the site of application to active tree-growth areas, where the beetle would be expected to feed and lay eggs.

Q. Where and when do applications take place?

A. Treatments will be applied to the ALB-infested areas of New York, Illinois, and New Jersey, beginning early spring and continuing through July. Fall treatments may also be applied. For treatment maps in New York, Illinois, and New Jersey review the ALB Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/alb/alb.html and select the "Insecticide Imidacloprid" section.

Q. Is this insecticide used for other things?

A. Imidacloprid is most commonly used on rice, cereal, maize, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, fruit, cotton, hops, and turf. It can be used as a seed or soil treatment or applied to foliage. It is also used in flea treatments for pets and in lawn care to control white grubs. More information about imidacloprid is available on the Extension Toxicology Network Web site (http://ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet). EXTOXNET is a pesticide information project of the cooperative extension offices of Cornell University, Michigan State University, Oregon State University, and the University of California at Davis; major support and funding are provided by the USDA Extension Services' National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program.

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