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Key Points: • The Asian longhorned beetle detector is the brainchild of entomologists from the North Central Research Station (USDA Forest Service) and acoustic engineers and scientists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Department of Energy). • The detector finds Asian longhorned beetles in trees and wooden packing materials, long before they are obvious to the eye. • Early and accurate diagnosis can save trees by removing only the infested trees. |
![[image - Adult Asian Longhorned Beetle]](thumbnails/albinsect.gif) |
• Acoustic detection could lead to preventive measures that identify Asian longhorned beetles before they leave Asian ports and by USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service inspectors.
• Asian longhorned beetles have been found in the environment in New York and Chicago, but have been found in warehouses throughout North America.
• Since 1996 over 80 million dollars has been spent on detection and eradication measures.
• The Asian longhorned beetle is a serious threat to North American forests – both urban and rural.
Asian longhorned beetles (ALB)
An invasive species originating in China and North Korea. The beetle came to America in pallets and was first detected in 1996 in New York. The beetle has also caused considerable damage in Chicago from a 1998 infestation. The Asian longhorned beetle is a serious and expensive threat to North American hardwood trees.
The Detector and the Oak Ridge Boys
The Detector was developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the direction of Cy Smith and Glenn Allgood. The detector recognizes the unique sounds of Asian longhorned beetles as they chew tunnels in a host tree. The detector works much like the sensors on US submarines tracking the unique sounds of Russian submarines. Cy Smith said, "this marks the first time ORNL has built a bug for bugs."
The Entomologists
Bob Haack, Therese Poland, Leah Bauer and the entire North Central Research Station ALB team are located in East Lansing, Michigan. In pursuit of the beetles, their travels take them to China to eavesdrop on ALB, study natural enemies, and observe the defenses of Chinese trees to the beetles. You’ll find Leah Bauer in her lab doing post mortems on ALB to find viruses, fungi, bacteria, or protozoans that make beetles sick or die. And you’ll find Sue Barro and a team of sociologists in Chicago learning how communities deal with an ALB infestation.
Big Job – Many Partners
We’ve come a long way in 6 short years. The story of the Asian longhorned beetle involves many agencies – federal, state, and local such as:
• The City of New York
• The City of Chicago
• State Foresters and Departments of Conservation and Natural Resources.
• USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and
• Our colleagues in the US Forest Service – Northeastern Research Station, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Links to more information on ALB
USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry-St. Paul Field Office
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Office
Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey Program
New York (since 1996):
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation: Asian Longhorned Beetle Alert
Illinois (since 1998):
University of Illinois - In the News - Asian Longhorned Beetle
Chicago Botanic Garden: Asian longhorned beetle
Illinois Department of Agriculture: Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Day
New Jersey (since 2002):
New Jersey Department of Agriculture: Asian Longhorned Beetle
Ontario, Canada (since 2003):
Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Asian Longhorned Beetle Found in Woodbridge Ontario
Europe (since 2001):
Austria: Federal Forest Research Centre: Pest Alert - Dangerous Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) found in Austria
France: Ministry of Agriculture: Deux foyers de capricornes asiatiques déclarés en France en 2003 (pdf)
Germany: European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization, EPPO Reporting Service Paris, 2004-05-01 Reporting Service 2004, No. 05
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Media Contact:
Tim Swedberg, Public and Media Relations Mailing address: USDA Forest Service Many ALB related
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