DEC Contact: July 24, 2020
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DEC SEEKS SWIMMING POOL OWNERS FOR CITIZEN SCIENCE SURVEY OF INVASIVE BEETLEEarly Discovery of Asian Longhorned Beetle Infestations Saves Money and Trees |
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State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today encouraged New York’s swimming pool owners to participate in DEC's annual Asian Longhorned Beetle Swimming Pool Survey during the month of August. During late summer, Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) emerge as adults and are most active outside of their host trees. The goal of the survey is to locate infestations of these invasive pests before they cause serious damage to the State’s forests and street trees.
ALB are wood-boring beetles native to Asia that were accidentally introduced to the United States through wood packing materials. These pests attack a variety of hardwoods, including maples, birches, and willows, among others, and have caused the death of hundreds of thousands of trees across the country. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets worked diligently to manage ALB infestations in the state, successfully eradicating them from Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, Islip, and Queens. The beetle is still actively managed in central Long Island, and there are active infestations in Massachusetts, Ohio, and South Carolina. For more information on the ALB Pool Survey and ALB, including biology and identification tools, visit DEC's website.
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