Massachusetts Introduced Pests Outreach Blog

Damage from invasive insects like the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) and Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is easiest to spot in winter and early spring, without leaves blocking our view into the upper canopy. But in winter, there are no leaves on the trees, so how do we identify host species? Check out our winter tree id tips:

1) Determine whether the branches opposite or alternate.

No matter what the season, this should always be your first step in tree id. Only four types of native trees in New England have opposite branching. The easiest way to remember them is with the pneumonic device “MAD Horse”: M=maple, A=ash, D=dogwood, and Horse= horse chestnut. Maple is the key host tree for ALB, while ash is the host for EAB.

2) ID ALB and EAB host trees using these key winter characteristics.

Knowing several key characters for each species is important for identifying trees throughout all seasons. Things like tree silhouette, buds, flowers, fruits, bark, leaf shape, and habitat can all help determine genus and species. In winter, check for these characters to id ALB and EAB host trees:

Red maple flower buds (photo by J. Forman Orth)

• Red Maple has red buds and flowers.
• Silver Maple looks similar to Red Maple but does everything “more”—the buds are bigger and the flowers are showier.
• Sugar Maple has sharp, pointy buds and bark that peels in vertical lines. Remember “sugar = sharp.”
• Birches can often be easily recognized by their peeling bark. Also, look for birch flower buds, knows as catkins, at the tips of the branches.
• Horse chestnut is most easily distinguished by its thick, dark colored branches and sticky buds. Horse chestnuts have large, compound leaves so you’ll notice there is a lot of spacing between the twigs on the branches.


Willow (photo by Matt Lavin)

• Elm has terminal buds that point at a 45 degree angle. The ends of elm branches also tend to be reddish in color.
• Willows often have distinctly yellowish twig bark. Also, look for the graceful, drooping branches of weeping willows, a common ornamental tree.
• Ash buds are dark and bulbous. Leaf scars on ash resemble smiley faces. Ash trees have compound leaves, so you’ll notice there is a lot of spacing between the twigs on the branches. (Ash is a host for EAB and ALB)

The Asian longhorned beetle Cooperative Eradication Program will be holding a series of meetings this March in the Greater Worcester area to discuss plans to chemically treat trees in an effort to prevent the spread of the beetle.

Meetings are scheduled from 6pm-8pm on each of the following dates:

• Monday, March 14: Worcester Technical High School, 1 Skyline Drive, Worcester
• Tuesday, March 15: Tower Hill Botanic Gardens, 11 French Drive, Boylston
• Wednesday, March 16: Beaman Memorial Library, 8 Newton Street, West Boylston
• Thursday, March 17: Holden Senior Center, Holden

If you have any questions regarding these meetings, you can contact the public affairs office of the Eradication Program at 508-852-8044.

Join us on November 13^th at 10:00 am for an informative Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) “walk-and-talk” at Olmsted Park in Boston. This will be a walking workshop where you can learn how to identify ALB, ALB tree damage, and hear about the history of ALB in Massachusetts. At the same time we will also be surveying potential host trees in the park for any signs of the beetle. The talk will be led by Jennifer Forman Orth of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and Ray Oldapo-Johnson of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.

Olmsted Park, part of the Emerald Necklace park system, is situated within the Boston ALB regulated area which was established after 6 infested trees were found at Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain. ALB Eradication program staff continue to survey the regulated area with over 31,000 trees checked so far and no new finds. However, they greatly depend on reports from the public to find infested trees as early as possible as this is the key to successful eradication. Even if you do not live within the regulated area, surrounding communities are equally at risk for infestation so everyone is urged to come and learn how to spot and report ALB!

Please RSVP by emailing volunteer@emeraldnecklace.org . Dress warmly and bring binoculars if you have them. More information about Olmstead Park and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy can be found at www.emeraldnecklace.org

Are you participating in an Audubon Christmas Bird Count next month? When you’re out looking for birds, keep your eyes on the trees – with the leaves gone, now is a perfect time of year to check them for Asian longhorned beetle damage. If you’re birding, you’ve likely got a good pair of binoculars with you. Use them to scan the upper canopy of possible host trees: maple, birch, elm, willow and horse chestnut (for a complete host list, click here). If you see perfectly round dime-sized holes in the tree, make a note of the location and report it online or call the toll free ALB hotline: 1-866-702-9938. Get a photo of the damage if you can.

Heading out to the count with a group of friends? Arm them with the knowledge they need to recognize Asian longhorned beetle tree damage: Email us and we’ll send you out a free pack of ALB ID cards!

There have been a lot of reports in the news lately about stink bugs invading people’s homes and destroying crop (see here for example). The stinky insects featured in those stories are Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (Halyomorpha halys), notorious for descending on people’s homes and sneaking inside by the hundreds.

Contrary to information in some of those news reports, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is not currently a problem in Massachusetts. There are only a few records of this pest in our state, including the first known find, back in 2007, in the town of Bridgewater. To confuse matters, there is another non-native bug, the Western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis), that becomes very active as outdoor temperatures cool. Western Conifer Seed Bugs are also home invaders; you can often find them resting on the sides of houses, on doors and on window screens, where they are hoping to find a way to sneak in and hibernate for the winter. These bugs do release a “stinky” liquid when startled, but they are not related to true stink bugs.

Below is a comparison of the two species:

Note that the Western Conifer Seed Bug is much slimmer than the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, and has a white zig-zag line across the center of its body. Also note the little “flare” on its back legs (red arrow).

Western conifer seed bugs are native to the west coast of the USA, but have been established on the east coast since the 1990s. They are not considered a significant environmental pest and typically do not invade home in large numbers. To find out more about this bug and how to keep it out of your home, check out this blog post. If you think you’ve actually seen a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, you can report it online (Western Conifer Seed Bugs do not need to be reported).

(Brown Marmorated Stinkbug image courtesy of Ted Kropiewnicki, bugguide.net. Western conifer seed bug image courtesy of Giancarlo Dessi, Wikimedia Commons)

Join the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources this Sunday, Sept. 19th for an Asian longhorned beetle tree survey at Jamaica Pond. In July of this year, a small infestation of ALB was discovered in maple trees growing at Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain. ALB Eradication program staff are in the Boston and Brookline areas doing tree surveys, but they have a lot of ground left to cover, and they often depend on reports from an educated public to uncover new infestations. While no new infested trees have been found in the area, it is important that everyone learn how to spot the signs of ALB and ALB tree damage, in order to catch any infestations early and keep tree damage at a minimum.

This informal walkthrough of the forest surrounding Pinebank will start with a brief training session covering what ALB looks like and how it damages trees. MDAR and ENC staff will be available throughout the event for those who have additional questions. Meet at Pinebank in Jamaica Pond at 9:30am, and bring water, sturdy shoes, and binoculars if you have them! Directions to Pinebank are here, but please RSVP to: volunteer@emeraldnecklace.org.

Colin Novick, Executive Director of the Greater Worcester Land Trust, and family join other volunteers to search Kinney Woods for signs of the Asian longhorned beetle.

Last month the Greater Worcester Land Trust hosted an Asian longhorned beetle (“ALB”) tree survey within Kinney Woods, part of over 100-acres of GWLT conservation land. The area is just 2.5 miles west of a known ALB infestation and is a gateway to many other important areas including Holden Reservoir, Cascades Park, and Boynton Park.

Before the survey there was a brief training session by the GWLT’s executive director, Colin Novick. Volunteers learned exactly what to look for in order to recognize the Asian longhorned beetle: a shiny black body, bright white spots, long banded antennae, and blue-tinged feet. They also learned which trees to survey; Asian longhorned beetle will attack maples, elms, willows, and birches most often and does not attack pine, oak, or fruit trees.

Knowing exactly what Asian longhorned beetle exit holes look like is important for differentiating between holes made by woodpeckers or other insects. Asian longhorned beetle exit holes are perfectly round, a bit smaller than a dime, and located randomly on the tree, while woodpecker holes typically occur in rows or lines.

The group’s youngest members were Colin’s three beetle-expert daughters. Though none of them were even out of elementary school yet, they were among the most knowledgable surveyors. They came armed with binoculars to search high up in the tree’s canopy, pencils to test holes in trees (if the eraser-end goes in 1 inch it may be ALB), and bright flagging tape to mark any trees that may be infested.

Attending a volunteer tree survey is a great way to get field training in identifying Asian longhorned beetle and ALB tree damage. The next Greater Worcester Land Trust ALB tree survey will be held Sept. 24 at 12pm, at God’s Acre, off of Swan Ave. in Worcester. To register, email mary@gwlt.org. If you think you’ve seen an Asian longhorned beetle or signs of ALB tree damage, report it on our website or call toll-free 1-866-702-9938.

The New England Wild Flower Society has uploaded a series of short videos to YouTube profiling invasive plants in Massachusetts. To learn more, check out their identification tips for mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum), Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora).

If you think you see mile-a-minute vine, please photograph it or take a sample, and submit a report through our website.

Our Asian Longhorned Beetle “T3″ Train-the-Trainer sessions are starting up again next week, but there’s still time to register!

As part of the Forest Pest Outreach and Survey Project, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is seeking stakeholders in Fitchburg, Leominster, New Bedford, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and surrounding communities to help organize tree surveys, participate in Asian longhorned beetle “Train the Trainer” sessions, and plan other activities to help raise awareness about the Asian longhorned beetle and other invasive pests.

Our upcoming “Train the Trainer” sessions include:

• Wednesday, August 18, 6pm-7:30pm. Doyle Center, Leominster, MA
• Tuesday, August 17, 6:30-7:30pm. Charles River Conservancy, 4 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA [CANCELED]
• Tuesday, August 10, 8:30am-10am. Doyle Center, Leominster, MA

You can also join us for a free info session covering ALB and other invasive species at:

• Thursday, August 12, 6:30pm. Buttonwood Zoo. New Bedford, MA

If you work in the green industry, education, government, or are involved with an environmental group or neighborhood association, and you are concerned about the potential impact that ALB or other invasive pests could have on your community’s trees, sign up for a session or suggest your own event: email Jennifer.Forman-Orth@state.ma.us or call 617-626-1735. Kickoff meetings to plan more events for this summer and fall will be happening soon!

Note: Mass. Foresters Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) credits and Mass. Arborists Association Certified Arborist credits are now available for the Leominster sessions!

While the Asian longhorned beetle has not been found in Fitchburg, Leominster or New Bedford, every town and city in Massachusetts remains at risk. If you think you’ve seen an Asian longhorned beetle or signs of ALB tree damage, report it here or call 1-866-702-9938.

Officials from the US Department of Agriculture, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the city of Boston, and the town of Brookline have scheduled public meetings to discuss the recent discovery of Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) in Jamaica Plain and eradication efforts:

• Wednesday, July 21, 6:30-8:30pm. Brookline Public Library, Hunneman Hall, 361 Washington St.
• Thursday, July 22, 6:30 to 8:30pm. Faulkner Hospital, Huvos Auditorium [Organized by State Representative Jeffrey Sanchez]
• Thursday, July 29, 6:30-8:30pm. Brookline Public Library, Hunneman Hall, 361 Washington St.
• Saturday, July 31, 10am-12pm. Curtis Hall, 20 South St., Jamaica Plain [ALB Resource Fair]