Tree-devouring Asian beetle found in Worcester

By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff

Shiny, spotted Asian beetles that attack hardwood trees and have been called potentially more destructive than Dutch elm disease, chestnut blight, and gypsy moths combined have been found in Worcester.

An investigation is ongoing and preliminary, but as many as 15 trees in the northwest part of the city have been confirmed as infested with the Asian Longhorned Beetle.

Now, federal, state, and local officials are working on a more complete survey of a quarantine area with a 1.5-mile radius.

"This is a voracious insect; it really has a potential to be very damaging," Suzanne Bond, a spokeswoman for the US Department of Agriculture, said today. " It destroys a number of species of hardwood trees, and maples are a perferred species. ... It really has a potential to damage a number of industries if it were allowed to spread unchecked -- maple syrup, lumber, tourism."

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at the USDA has said that if the invasive species is able to become established in the United States, it could wreak more havoc than other major tree diseases and pests.

A preliminary assessment indicates that the beetle may have been in the area for five years, according to Worcester city manager Michael O'Brien. The beetle is known to travel in wood packing materials used to transport goods from Asia, and the Worcester infestation is the fourth reported in the United States. The beetle has also been found in Chicago, the New York area, and New Jersey.

To eradicate the beetle, officials will have to cut down infested trees and grind or burn them. In Chicago, 1,550 infested trees were removed. In the New York area, 6,200 infested trees were removed, and in New Jersey, more than 700 were removed.