Asian Longhorned Beetle

Anoplophora glabripennis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Cerambycidae

Also called: Starry sky longhorned beetle, Asian Longhorn Beetle

Damages trees, gardens or crops. The Asian longhorned beetle kills maple and other hardwood trees, harming forests and urban shade trees.

Source: USDA APHIS

Adults are shiny black with white spots and have long black-and-white antennae that exceed their body length. Larvae are long, cylindrical, up to 5 cm long, and feed inside the trunks of maples, poplars, willows and elms, eventually killing the tree.

Source: USDA APHIS, Wikipedia

Size

Larvae can grow to about 5 cm (2 in) long and 0.5 cm (0.2 in) wide.

Source: Wikipedia

Is it a pest in the house?

The beetle can dramatically change forest and urban ecosystems by killing many hardwood trees. Trees cannot recover from the damage caused by the beetle.

Source: Wikipedia, USDA APHIS

How to get rid of it

Early detection is essential to stop the beetle from spreading. Pheromone and plant-kairomone traps can attract adult beetles. Infested trees cannot be saved and must be removed and destroyed by incineration or chipping.

Source: Wikipedia, USDA APHIS

Where it lives

In its native range the beetle infests maple, poplar, willow and elm trees.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Both larvae and adults feed on the wood of hardwood trees such as maple, poplar, willow and elm.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Eggs hatch in 13 to 54 days, and larvae pass through at least five growth stages over one to two years.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults first attack the crown and main branches, then move into the trunk as the crown dies.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It originates from eastern Asia, especially eastern China and Korea.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Ohio, Connecticut, South Carolina, Illinois, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, New Jersey.

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Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

Questions people ask

How can I tell if I have an Asian longhorned beetle infestation?

Look for shiny black beetles with white spots and very long black-and-white antennae, and for signs of dead branches or holes in the bark of maples and other hardwoods.

Source: USDA APHIS, Wikipedia

What should I do if I find an infested tree?

Contact local authorities; the tree will need to be removed and the wood destroyed because it cannot be treated.

Source: USDA APHIS

Can traps help control the beetle?

Yes, traps using a pheromone and a plant kairomone can lure adult beetles and help monitor infestations.

Source: Wikipedia