Country: Canada

Title: Asian Long-horned Beetle found in Mississauga, Ontario

Contact:
CFIA Media Relations at 613-773-6600

Report: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of Asian Long-horned Beetle (ALHB), Anoplophora glabripennis, in an industrial area near Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario. The CFIA is working with other federal departments and provincial and municipal governments to survey the area and determine the next steps.

 

Between 2003 and 2007, ALHB was known to exist in the cities of Toronto and Vaughan. A quarantine area was established and control efforts were undertaken. Based on international standards, the pest was considered eradicated from this area in 2013 after not being detected for five years. This new find is outside of the eradicated area.

Based on CFIA's national plant pest surveillance program, the ALHB has never been detected elsewhere in Canada.

ALHB can fly short distances but can also spread through the movement of infested wood. Residents are advised to check their trees regularly for signs of ALHB. Any sightings of the beetle or signs of related damage should be reported to the CFIA. The public is also asked not to move firewood. Moving untreated firewood, even just a few kilometres to or from a campground or cottage is a common way for invasive insects and diseases to spread.

Under IPPC Standards (e.g. ISPM No. 8), ALHB is considered present only in one location in Ontario and is subject to official control in Canada.

Additional information is available on the CFIA website at www.inspection.gc.ca/pests.
 

Posted Date: Sept. 20, 2013, 9 a.m.