Questions and Answers

What is the Asian long-horned beetle?

The Asian long-horned beetle (ALHB), Anoplophora glabripennis, is an insect native to Asia. When it is found in Canada, it is considered an invasive species because it attacks and kills healthy trees.

What trees in Canada are susceptible to the Asian long-horned beetle?

The majority of Canadian broadleaf trees are at risk from this insect. This includes all species of maple, as well as birch, elm, poplar and willow. Evergreen or coniferous trees are not attacked by the beetle.

Where has the Asian long-horned beetle been detected in Canada and when was it first found?

In September 2003, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the introduction of the ALHB in a concentrated area of an urban industrial park in Woodbridge and Toronto, Ontario. The beetle has since been found in parts of the cities of Toronto and Vaughan. All infested trees have been removed, along with all susceptible trees within a 200-metre to 400-metre radius. The area is now regulated to prevent the spread of the pest.

How was the Asian long-horned beetle introduced into Canada?

While the exact method of introduction is not known, the ALHB is one of many insect pests able to survive in wood and wood packaging materials used when transporting goods. When shipments arrive at their destination, pests living in the wood may come out and move to local trees to feed and complete their life cycles.

Another possibility is that the insect was a "hitch-hiker" on shipped goods and escaped into the environment upon arrival in Canada.

How does the Asian long-horned beetle kill trees?

ALHB larvae feed within the trunk and branches of trees and eventually fill the trees with holes, causing the trees to die. In some situations, mature trees may be killed in one or two growing seasons.

Has the Asian long-horned beetle been found in countries other than Canada and those in Asia?

Yes, infestations have been found in Europe and the United States, including

• New York
• New Jersey
• Massachusetts
• Ohio

These findings resulted in thousands of trees being removed and destroyed.

What does the Asian long-horned beetle look like?

The adult beetle has:

• six legs;
• large shiny black body (35 mm long and 12 mm wide maximum size) with up to 20 white dots; and,
• two long antennae composed of 11 segments (each segment is black with a whitish ring at the base).

There are native beetles that look similar to ALHB. These include the white-spotted sawyer and the western conifer seed bug.

Images are available on the CFIA website or on printed publications from a local CFIA office.

What is the life cycle of the Asian long-horned beetle?

The beetle has a one-to-two year life cycle. This life cycle has four stages:

• egg
• larva
• pupa
• adult beetle

The beetle can survive Canadian winters as an egg, larva or pupa. An adult will generally emerge in July and August and live as late as the first frost.

The life stages may be delayed due to variable climatic conditions.

What are the signs and symptoms of a tree attacked by the Asian long-horned beetle?

Emerging adult signs: The emerging adult beetles will chew their way out of the tree, leaving large round holes (9 to 11 mm) in the branches and trunks of trees.

Egg laying: Oval-shaped wounds can be found on the tree where the female beetles have chewed through the bark to lay their eggs. These wounds may also produce sap.

Feeding damage by adults: Adult beetles feed on the leaves, bark and branch tips.

Feeding damage by larvae: Coarse sawdust may be found at the base of trees and where the branches connect to the trunk as a result of larvae feeding and chewing within the tree.

What do I do if I suspect the Asian long-horned beetle is on my property?

Contact the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 or 416-665-5055 in Toronto.

Pest descriptions and resource material can also be found on the CFIA website and at Canadian Forest Service offices. Many municipalities may also have information and resources available on ALHB.

What is the CFIA doing to control and eradicate the Asian long-horned beetle?

Since the first find in September 2003, the CFIA has been conducting visual surveys to determine the extent of the introduction and damage. Where infested trees are found, they will be removed and destroyed. This will eliminate the risk of the beetle spreading to uninfested trees.

The Asian long-horned beetle has no natural controls in North America. The only way to stop the beetle's spread is to remove all susceptible trees within a defined area.

The CFIA creates regulated areas where invasive pests are found. In these areas, they set up and enforce measures to restrict the movement of potentially infested wood. This helps prevent the pest from spreading into other areas. A regulated area has been established in parts of Toronto and Vaughan in order to prevent the spread of the Asian long-horned beetle.

There are prohibitions of movement or restrictions of movement on firewood of all species and the following types of certain deciduous trees that have been identified as hosts of the beetle:

• nursery stock
• trees
• logs
• lumber
• wood
• wood chips and bark chips

Unless authorized by the CFIA, moving these items out of or through any regulated area is prohibited. This is necessary to prevent the spread of the Asian long-horned beetle throughout Toronto and the rest of Ontario and Canada.

The CFIA is also asking for the public's help in spotting the beetle and reporting it to their local CFIA office.

How should I dispose of yard waste materials?

For inquiries on disposing yard waste, contact your municipality.

Is the federal government compensating property owners for the loss of their trees?

Yes. Compensation for the replacement of trees is available to people whose trees were ordered destroyed to combat the spread of the Asian long-horned beetle, as long as the provisions in the Introduced Forest Pest Compensation Regulations are met.

For more information on compensation, please see the CFIA website, or call 1-800-442-2342 or 416-665-5055 in Toronto.