Emergency Funding from USDA to Eradicate Beetle

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is about 1 to 1.5 inches long and has a shiny jet black body with distinctive white spots and long antennae (often twice the length of the bodies) that are banded in black and white. ALB larvae bore into healthy hardwood trees and feed on living tree tissue and heartwood.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the availability of $41.5 million in emergency funding to prevent the spread of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) in Massachusetts.

The emergency funding will be used in Massachusetts to increase tree surveys in order to determine the extent of the infestation, expand the use of treatments to reduce the beetle population and ensure the timely removal of beetles.

The insect, which attacks healthy hardwood trees, was discovered in Worcester, Mass., in August 2008. Currently, a 74-square mile area regulated to control the ALB includes all of the city of Worcester and the town of West Boylston, as well as portions of the towns of Boylston, Holden and Shrewsbury. To date, the USDA and its partners have removed 25,575 trees in an effort to stop the ALB infestation in Massachusetts.

Source: www.usda.gov