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It bores into hardwoods — especially maples — stemming the flow of sap, leaving holes as big as a finger and killing the tree.
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That’s the Asian longhorned beetle and the U.S. Department of Agriculture wants you to check your trees now to see if you have an infestation.
So far, 13,121 total infested trees have been found in South Carolina — up from 12,812 in the initial 2020 report.
Some 34,000 trees have been cut down to stop the infestation.
“August is the perfect time for people to spot the Asian longhorned beetle,” said Agriculture Under Secretary Dudley Hoskins. “When residents take a few minutes to check their trees, they become our partners in protecting trees.”
The beetle can infest birch, elm, willow and buckeye trees and sometimes ash, golden rain tree, katsura, London plane tree, mimosa, mountain ash, and poplar. The only way to get rid of them is to cut down the tree and then chip or burn it. The stump should be ground to soil level.
The adults are most active in late summer and therefore easier to spot.
They’ll get on patios and outdoor furniture as well.
How to ID Asian longhorned beetle infestation
Here’s how to tell if you’ve got some.
- They have a shiny black body with white spots, 1 to 1½ inches long, long black-and-white banded antennae and legs that can appear bluish in color
- The USDA said these are the signs to look for in your trees:
- Round holes in the trunk or branches, about the size of a pencil
- Chewed, oval or round depressions in the bark where the beetle lays eggs
- Sawdust-like material on the ground or in branch crooks
- Unexplained dead or dying branches
If you find them, call the ALB hotline at 1‑866‑702‑9938 or report it online through the APHIS ALB webpage. Photos and samples (kept frozen) can help experts identify the insect.
Asian longhorned beetle history
The beetle has been eradicated in New Jersey and Illinois.
The pest is native to China and Korea and likely came to the United States in shipping crates made of untreated wood in the 1990s. It was discovered in South Carolina in 2020 by a homeowner in Hollywood. A Clemson University Department of Plant Industry inspector went to the property and found at least four infested maple trees and captured live beetles.
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Since then, a quarantine area in Charleston and in part of Dorchester counties has been in place.
Besides maple, trees that may attract the beetles are birches, buckeyes, elms, and willows and sometimes ash, golden rain tree, katsura, London plane tree, mimosa, mountain ash, and poplar.
Here’s how the USDA describes the life cycle:
“In its larval stage, the insect feeds deep inside tree trunks and branches. It creates tunnels as it feeds. Then as an adult, the beetle chews its way out, creating 3/4-inch round exit holes. Once the beetles exit a tree, they feed on its leaves and bark before mating, laying eggs, and starting another generation of tree-killing beetles.”
The South Carolina Forestry Commission said eggs take two weeks to two months to hatch depending on the temperature. And the maturation process is usually a year or two.
“Adults tend to remain on the tree they emerged from unless it is already heavily infested,” the commission said. “Adults can fly up to a mile-and-a-half but most individuals do not move farther than half a mile from their origin.
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