Suffolk County’s Asian Longhorned Beetle Crisis: What Homeowners Need to Know About Current Detection and Treatment Protocols

The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) continues to pose a significant threat to Suffolk County’s hardwood trees, with 42.9 square miles under quarantine in the Townships of Babylon, Huntington, and Oyster Bay as of 2024. While APHIS recently removed 10.1 square miles from the quarantine area, homeowners and tree care professionals must remain vigilant in detecting and reporting potential infestations to protect Long Island’s valuable urban forest.

Understanding the Asian Longhorned Beetle Threat

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive insect that attacks and kills maple and other hardwood trees. The insect grows inside trees and feeds on the living tissues that carry nutrients. Trees cannot heal from the damage ALB causes. This makes early detection crucial, as infested trees can become safety hazards since branches can drop and trees can fall, especially during storms.

The Asian longhorned beetle feeds on a variety of hardwoods including maple, birch, elm, ash, poplar, horsechestnut, and willow, making it a serious concern for Suffolk County’s diverse tree population. New York State’s maple industry, which produced 800,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2019, is at risk from ALB.

Current Detection Methods and What to Look For

Recent research has refined detection protocols to make them more efficient. A team of researchers from the Canadian Forest Service, USDA Agricultural Research Service, and Canadian Food Inspection Agency found that focusing on oviposition pits could detect infestations earlier, as these pits were usually created two to four years earlier than emergence holes.

Property owners should inspect their trees for these key warning signs:

• Round exit holes that are ⅜ to ½ inches wide and at least an inch deep, created by adults emerging from trees beginning in late July
• Round, ½-inch wide depressions (egg-laying sites) in the outer bark
• Oviposition pits, frass, exit holes, oozing sap, and twigs with stripped bark

“There were at least 20 times more oviposition pits (45,000) than signs of adult emergence (2,000 holes) at the time the infestation was discovered,” highlighting why focusing on egg-laying sites is so important for early detection.

Current Treatment Protocols and Limitations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and its partners use insecticide treatments as part of an integrated approach to eradicate Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). The primary treatment involves imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide that is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and is approved for ALB eradication.

However, treatment has significant limitations. Variability in treatments, weather conditions, and overall tree health can result in uneven insecticide distribution within a tree and prevent the insecticide from killing all ALB in an infested tree. The insecticide is not effective against the later larval stages that spend most of their time inside the heartwood of the tree where treatment will not reach them.

This is why all infested trees must be removed because that is the most effective way to completely eliminate the beetle. The program removes infested trees at no cost to property owners.

Professional Tree Care Services: Your First Line of Defense

Given the complexity of ALB detection and the limitations of treatment options, working with certified arborists is essential for Suffolk County property owners. Professional Tree Spraying Services in Suffolk County, NY can provide the expertise needed to identify potential infestations before they become established.

Jones Tree and Plant Care, led by certified arborist Thomas Jones, exemplifies the kind of professional expertise homeowners need. As a licensed arborist, Jones is committed to offering scientifically based landscape management and delivering quality services. Jones Tree and Plant Care will inspect your landscape, diagnose any problems, and make recommendations based on knowledge and expertise gained through over 10 years of experience in the industry.

As a certified arborist, Jones receives continuous education and instruction, and is always up to date on the latest trends and techniques. Jones Tree and Plant Care creates specific programs based on the needs of each individual customer and property. A total tree and plant care approach will improve growth, condition and appearance of your property, all while using environmentally sensitive, affordable treatments.

The Importance of Regular Tree Monitoring

Regularly checking your trees, and reporting any suspicious damage or the beetle, is so important. Early detection can save trees. If you think you’ve seen signs of this pest, immediately report it. August is an ideal time of year to look for the beetle and the damage it causes.

The Asian longhorned beetle typically begins attacking the crown of a host tree along main branches, making it difficult to detect in the first year or two of the infestation. This underscores the importance of professional tree inspections, particularly for high-value specimens.

Quarantine Regulations and Compliance

Property owners in affected areas must understand current quarantine restrictions. There are New York State and federal quarantines in place to prohibit the movement of ALB and any regulated article from out of the quarantine areas. Regulated articles include any host wood, infested or not, that could harbor ALB in any of its life stages. Wood that is not infested can be moved under permit or compliance agreement with New York State to an approved disposal site.

Regulated establishments must enter into a compliance agreement or obtain a permit from an official inspector before moving any authorized ALB regulated article out of a quarantine area.

Looking Forward: Integrated Management Approach

USDA works closely with Federal and State officials to eradicate Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) using a combined approach that includes imposing quarantines, conducting tree inspections, removing infested trees and sometimes high-risk host trees, using a systemic insecticide when appropriate, researching best practices and new eradication methods, and involving and informing residents.

For Suffolk County homeowners, the best defense against ALB remains early detection through regular professional tree inspections, prompt reporting of suspicious symptoms, and working with certified arborists who understand the latest detection protocols. Choosing Jones Tree and Plant Care means partnering with a leader in plant health care in Suffolk County. We are committed to excellence, using only the safest and most effective methods tailored to your specific landscape needs. Our proactive approach to plant health care ensures that potential issues are addressed before they become major problems, saving you time and money.

While the ALB threat remains serious, continued vigilance, professional expertise, and community cooperation offer the best hope for protecting Suffolk County’s valuable urban forest for future generations.