USDA TO FIGHT ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE WITH INSECTICIDE
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it’s planning to conduct field tests to determine whether insecticide may help to control the spread of the Asian longhorned beetle.
The USDA imposed controls against wood-packing materials from China and Hong Kong last year To keep the wood-eating beetle out of the country. Importers must ensure that wood packing is properly fumigated or heat-treated before the material enters the country.
Agricultural officials have so far removed about 4,300 trees in New York City and 1,200 trees in Chicago, which were infested with the Asian longhorned beetle.
“Our researchers are working diligently to find an alternative to tree removal, which is currently the only known way to eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle,” said Michael V. Dunn, undersecretary for USDA’s marketing and regulatory programs. “We are hopeful that these field tests will provide additional useful information to support preliminary findings from experiments conducted in China.”
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently completed an environmental assessment that considers various methods of protection for trees. The agency is planning to begin field tests of insecticides this spring. Two methods for delivering the pesticide will be considered: soil and truck injections.
A copy of USDA’s Asian longhorned beetle eradication study may be found on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/ead/alb/html .