The State Department of Environmental Conservation is asking swimming pool owners to participate in the D-E-C’s annual Asian Long-horned Beetle Swimming Pool Survey. During late summer, Asian long-horned beetles emerge as adults and are active outside of their host tree. The goal of the survey is to locate infestations of these invasive pests before they cause serious damage to the State’s forests and street trees.
From now until swimming pools are closed for the season, DEC is asking pool owners to periodically check their filters for insects that resemble A-L-B, and report suspects either by emailing photos to foresthealth@dec.ny.gov or mailing insects to DEC’s Forest Health Diagnostics Lab at 108 Game Farm Road, Delmar, NY 12054, Attn: Liam Somers.
ALB are wood-boring beetles native to Asia that were accidentally introduced to the United States through wood-packing materials. These pests attack a variety of hardwoods, including maples, birches, and willows, among others, and have caused the death of hundreds of thousands of trees across the country.
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