Bug Hunt

Asian longhorned beetles have apparently been discovered over in the Greendale area of Worcester. An article in today's paper describes the infestation and starts the story with, "A foreign, invasive, boring insect that can be stopped by no chemical has been found in Worcester trees."

Down at the end of the article they say, "Trees in the area will be sprayed with Merit (imidaclopirid) [sic] each spring for three years to prevent further infestation."

Personally, if I had written or edited the article I would've wanted to reconcile that particular contradiction. But it did spur me to do a half a minute mini-research tour of hits on Google for Asian longhorn beetle and imidacloprid in order to understand why they're going to spray for three years to stop an insect that can be stopped by no chemical.

Suffice it to say that this is a huge threat to trees in Worcester and surrounding towns. If you see one of these monster bugs (an inch to an inch and a half long), report it immediately online at Mass NRC and/or to the Worcester DPW via e-mail to dpw@ci.worcester.ma.us or by phone at 508-929-1300.
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