Asian Longhorned Beetle quarantine area reduced in Clermont County
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are removing a large portion from the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) quarantine area in Clermont County, a sign of exciting progress in the overall ALB eradication process.
The 5.2 square mile area includes the portion of East Fork State Park and Tate Township that is south of William H. Harsha Lake, and north and west of North Campbell Road. This is the second removal of regulations from the initial quarantine area. ALB was first discovered in Tate Township, Clermont County in 2011. Since then, 118,233 trees have been removed to stop the spread of this pest in Ohio.
ODA and USDA-APHIS continue to work together to operate the Ohio ALB Cooperative Eradication Program which has delivered results in limiting the beetle’s impact.
“The reduction of this quarantine area shows our eradication efforts through this program are working,” said ODA Director Brian Baldridge. “Ohio communities affected by this invasive pest have stepped up to report infestations, helping with this critical work. ODA and our federal partners will continue its work in eliminating the ALB, reducing the harmful impacts on Ohio’s economy and forests.”
The insect has no known natural predators and poses a great threat to Ohio's hardwood forests (more than $2.5 billion in standing maple timber) and the state's $5 billion nursery industry which employs nearly 240,000 people.
ALB is an invasive wood-boring beetle that attacks 12 types of hardwood trees in Ohio, such as maples, elms, birches, willows and Ohio’s official state tree, the buckeye. The beetle creates tunnels as it feeds, then chews its way out as an adult in the warmer months, typically around August. Infested trees do not recover, eventually die, and can become safety hazards since their weakened branches can drop and trees can fall over, especially during storms.
The beetle has bright and distinctive markings that are easy to recognize:
• Black and white antennae that are longer than the beetle’s body.
• A shiny black body with white spots that is about 1” to 1 ½” long.
• Six legs and feet that can appear bluish in color.
Signs that a tree might be infested include round exit holes in tree trunks and branches, about the size of a dime or smaller and shallow oval or round scars in the bark where the adult beetle chewed an egg site. There may also be sawdust-like material, called frass, on the branches or ground around the tree and dead branches or limbs falling from an otherwise healthy-looking tree.
As a reminder, 44 square miles are still under quarantine for ALB in Clermont County, which includes portions of Tate Township, East Fork State Park and East Fork Wildlife Area. Under quarantine, regulated items may not be moved out of the area without a compliance agreement, permit, or certificate. These include firewood (all hardwood species), nursery stock and logs from host species, branches and other woody materials a half inch or more in diameter.
To view a map of the Ohio ALB quarantine, please visit ODA’s webpage at https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/plant-health/invasive-pests/invasive-in….
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