Official Pest Report
Official Pest Reports are provided by National Plant Protection Organizations within the NAPPO region. These Pest Reports are intended to comply with the International Plant Protection Convention's Standard on Pest Reporting, endorsed by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures in March 2002.
Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) eradicated from Illinois - United States
Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) eradicated from Illinois - United States
Country: United States
Title: Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) eradicated from Illinois - United States
Contact:
Christine Markham, National Program Director ALB Eradication Program, 919-855-7328
Report:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the City of Chicago announced the official eradication of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) (ALB) from Illinois. The event was held in the Ravenswood, Chicago neighborhood where the pest was found almost 10 years ago. This makes Illinois the first state fighting active ALB infestations to declare victory over the invasive insect.
ALB was discovered in Illinois in the summer of 1998, and the most recent infestation was detected around Chicago's Oz Park in 2003. Since that time, extensive surveys have not found adult ALB or any signs of infestation. With at least four years of active surveys and no signs of insects or infestation uncovered, USDA and its partners now can declare ALB eradication in Illinois.
Between 1998 and 2006, approximately 1,771 host trees were removed to destroy the invasive insect. In Illinois, ALB quarantine zones have existed in numerous Chicago neighborhoods, including Oz Park, Ravenswood, Kilbourn Park, Loyola, Park Ridge, O'Hare, Addison and Summit. As many as 35 square miles were quarantined for the pest in and around Chicago, with 61 square miles considered infested and surveyed for signs of beetles. The last chemical treatments took place in the Oz Park area in 2006.
The ALB is about 1.5 inches long and shiny black with antenna up to twice the length of their bodies, banded in black and white. Host tree species that beetles favor include maple, birch, elm and poplar, among others.
USDA currently is working with its state and local government partners to eradicate ALB in parts of New York and in central New Jersey. Additional information about ALB can be found at www.aphis.usda.gov.
Under IPPC Standards, Anoplophora glabripennis is considered a pest that is present, only in some areas (in New York and New Jersey) and under eradication in the United States.
Posted Date: April 23, 2008, 9 a.m.