The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is asking Ohioans to keep an eye out for the invasive Asian longhorned beetle.
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A spokesperson from the USDA APHIS said the Asian longhorned beetle has been “attacking trees in Ohio since 2011.”
Ohioans can help by checking trees in their community and reporting any sitings to the USDA.
“August is an ideal time of year to look for the beetle and the damage it causes,” APHIS National Operations Manager for the ALB Eradication Program Josie Ryan said. “Adult beetles are emerging now. You can see them on trees and other nearby items. Finding and reporting infested trees early means we can save more trees.”
The spokesperson said APHIS has found nearly 22,000 infested trees and removed more than 36,000 trees in Ohio since 2011.
The beetle is wood-boring and attacks 12 types of hardwood trees. Those include maple, birch, buckeye, elm, willow, ash, golden rain tree, katsura, London plane tree, mimosa, mountain ash, and poplar trees.