Asian longhorned beetle Photo courtesy of: Kenneth R. Law, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org

Forest Pests

Native trees have defenses against insects and diseases they've lived with for millions of years. Native predators eat native insects, keeping their numbers in check. Non-native insects and diseases have no predators in their new homes, and the trees have no natural defenses against them.

Our forests are threatened by non-native insects such as the Asian longhorned beetle and the emerald ash borer. These insects are wood infesting species that can be transported long distances in firewood. Because these foreign insects don't have anything stopping them, they reproduce really fast and become out of control, killing trees in their wake. By not moving firewood, you can help stop the spread of these insects and protect our forests.

Asian Longhorned Beetle

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive insect that feeds on certain species of hardwood trees, eventually killing them. The ALB most likely came to the United States inside wood packing material from Asia.

One of the most important ways you can help stop the ALB is to look for it and report it. Adult beetles are most active during the summer and early fall. They can be seen on trees, branches, walls, outdoor furniture, cars, and sidewalks. While the ALB may appear threatening, it is harmless to humans and pets. With these unique characteristics, it’s easy to identify the ALB:

• 1 to 1 ½ inches in length
• Long antennae banded in black and white (longer than the insect’s body)
• Shiny, jet black body with distinctive white spots
• Six legs
• May have blue color on feet.

While it can fly, the beetle tends to lay eggs in the same tree from which it emerged as an adult. The eggs hatch and the larvae burrow and feed just under the bark. By the late summer and fall, the caterpillar-like larva tunnels deep into the tree. The following summer, the ALB drills its way out of the tree as a mature beetle. It bores through the tissues that carry water and nutrients throughout the tree, eventually starving and killing it.

Photos courtesy of: Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Forestry Archive, Bugwood.org

In addition to looking for the beetle, you can search for signs of infestation, including:

• Shallow divits in the bark where the eggs are laid
• Sap seeping from wounds in the tree
• Dime-sized (1/4” or larger), perfectly round exit holes in the tree
• Sawdust-like materials, called frass, on the ground and the branches.

For more information about the Asian longhorned beetle, visit BeetleBusters.info.

Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald ash borer Image courtsey of: David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org

The emerald ash borer (EAB), discovered in 2002 in southeastern Michigan and Windsor, Ont., infests and kills North American ash species (Fraxinus sp.) including green, white, black and blue ash. The natural range of the EAB is eastern Russia, northern China, Japan, and Korea. Before June of 2002, it had never been found in North America. Damage is caused by the larvae, which feed in tunnels (called galleries) in the phloem just below the bark. The serpentine galleries disrupt water and nutrient transport, causing branches, and eventually the entire tree, to die. Adult beetles leave distinctive D-shaped exit holes in the outer bark of branches and the trunk. Adults are roughly 3/8 to 5/8 inch long with metallic green wing covers and a coppery red or purple abdomen. They may be present from late May through early September but are most common in June and July.

To learn more about the EAB, visit emeraldashborer.info.

Don't move firewood!

One common way many of these insect pests are moved around the country - beyond their natural rate of spread based on biology and flight potential - is on firewood carried by campers, hunters and other users of our forests. This firewood may come from trees killed by insect pests and taken down wherever the visitors came from. The users are frequently not even aware they are moving eggs or larvae of these pests, which may be hidden on or under the bark or buried deep within the logs.

• Buy firewood near where you will burn it - that means the wood was cut within 50 miles of where you'll have your fire.
• A regulation is in effect that prohibits the import of firewood into New York unless it has been heat treated to kill pests. The regulation also limits the transportation of untreated firewood to less than 50 miles from its source. View more information about this regulation.
• Not sure where the 50 mile radius is for a Lake George Campground? View the following maps for the various campgrounds to know where that 50 mile radius is. Hearthstone Point Campground, Lake George Battleground Campground, Glen Island Group Campsites, Long Island Group Campsites, Narrow Islands Group Campsites, Rogers Rock Campground.
• Wood that looks clean and healthy can still have tiny insect eggs, or microscopic fungi spores, that will start a new and deadly infestation. Always leave it at home, even if you think the firewood looks fine.
• Aged or seasoned wood is still not safe. Just because it is dry doesn't mean that bugs can't crawl onto it!
• Tell your friends not to bring wood with them - everyone needs to know that they should not move firewood.

For more information on not moving firewood, visit Don't Move Firewood.

Our Work With Forest Pests