- Image by Marko_K via Flickr
Asian longhorn beetles have made a nuisance of themselves in the United States since 1996, when they were discovered in Brooklyn, New York. The beetles burrow inside trees, where they lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, the young beetles chew their ways out. An infested tree will certainly die. There is nothing that can save them once eggs have been laid.
Recently, six cases of infestation were found in Boston. All of them were on the grounds of Faulkner Hospital. The beetles have also been detected in Chicago, Ontario, Worcester, NY. In order to determine whether the beetles come from the same place, scientists must study a genetic analysis of the samples.
After sending samples from the Boston infestations, scientists have concluded that they cannot determine whether these beetles are connected to those in other cities. This casts a significant amount of doubt about where the beetles came from. If the Boston and Worcester beetles had definitely come from the same group, then the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies would information that could help them determine how the beetles migrated to Boston. Since the results are inconclusive, though, it is anyone’s guess how the beetles made their way to Faulkner Hospital.
The infested trees at Faulkner Hospital were all planted between 2000 and 2001. After investigating more than 7,800 trees in the area, researchers could only find six infected trees.
This could be good news for Boston’s trees. If the extermination project successful found all of the infected trees, then the destruction could stop before it ever really began. If there are other infected trees in the area, though, then the eggs will likely hatch, creating more adult beetles to wreak havoc in Massachusetts.
Of course, it is also possible that the problem could continue even if the extermination program has eliminated the current threat. This is one of the problems surrounding uncertainty of the beetles’ origins. Without knowing where they came from, it is impossible to know whether or not more will enter the area.