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First Occurrence of the "Asian Longhorned Beetle" (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky) in Europe

Despite all warnings the fat is in the fire now! For the first time in Europe, the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) was intercepted last week on numerous trees in the urban area of Braunau (Upper Austria). This insect is an extremely dangerous quarantine pest originating from Asia. Already in 1996, the longhorned beetle was introduced into the USA where it has caused millions of US dollars in damage in the urban area of New York (information sheet ).

ALB damages in Braunau

The exact scope of the damage is being identified at the moment by the community of Braunau. The whole forest crop has to be checked for infestation symptoms both in the urban area and in the surrounding urban forests. During a first survey conducted by inspectors of the Federal Forest Research Centre on Monday, 30 July 2001, it was discovered that some 15-20 Acer platanoides showed typical infestation symptoms (emergence holes, bark necroses). They have been used by the longhorned beetle for maturation feeding and oviposition. At noon, it was possible to observe the rather large insects during their swarming activity. Surprisingly, the beetles are able to fly despite their size. This makes it easy for them to spread and is at the same time a major obstacle to the application of control measures.

Infestation symptoms on trees in Braunau

Already, the infested Acer platanoides show wilting symptoms in the crown, although still covered with green leaves. Emergence holes of 10-12 mm in diameter at the stem and piles of saw dust are visible around the base of the tree. There are major bark scars, especially where larvae have destroyed tree tissue. Fresh peeling scars caused by maturation feeding are visible at the twigs. Single oviposition scars may be identified at the stem. It is very interesting that in this alley only maple trees have been damaged but that the oviposition scars which have been chewed out from the bark can also be found in Gleditsia.

Causes for introduction

The trees infested so far are located in the proximity of a warehouse for construction material (Baumarkt). The first signs of dieback of these trees were observed in 2000. This suggests that the quarantine pest was imported two to three years ago together with wood packing material, as the development from egg-laying to the adult stage takes between 1 and 2 years.

Measures to Control the Asian Longhorned Beetle

Since early August the community of Braunau and its surroundings have been checked thoroughly for the occurrence of Anoplophora glabripennis and its typical infestation symptoms. In addition, the population has been called upon via TV and newspapers to report on any observation concerning the pest.

The infested area

According to our current knowledge the infestation area is confined to two small scale distribution areas which are located very closely to each other. These are the Bauhofstrasse and the recycling mill in Braunau.

Measures undertaken to eradicate the pest

Up to 16 August 2001, 16 infested trees were discovered (10 Norway maple (Acer platanoides), 5 sycamores (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) and 1 sugar maple (Acer saccharum). These trees and 27 more trees growing next to the infested trees revealing signs of maturation feeding or egg-laying sites were cut and put on plastic cover. Then, the whole biological material (stem, twigs, branches, leaves) was chipped and burnt on the spot. Up to 24 August 2001 some relevant information from the population was verified and 4 other trees (2 Norway maples, 1 sugar maple and 1 sycamore) were treated in the same way.

Monitoring

The Federal Forest Research Centre has elaborated criteria for infestation monitoring and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management together with the local forest authorities immediately initiated steps for their implementation. In the infested zone (1000 m around the focus) every single broadleaved tree susceptible to infestation is being checked by means of ladders, tree climbers and binoculars. In the surrounding security zone (this is the political district of Braunau/Inn) random samples will have to be taken. In addition to the confined area the monitoring has been extended to the whole federal territory, in particular to the surroundings of import warehouses which receive goods from the natural distribution zones of the ALB.