Asian Longhorn beetle stronger in MA

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bullchips. I'm sure some crane operators, climbers and bucket operators will make six figures this year in MA.
 
$100,000 is a 6 digit number.....

Crane operators are not treemen.

Ok, lets say 50 an hour, 8 hour day.

400 a day makes for a 2k workweek.

52 x 2k = 104,000


So if you can make 50 bucks an hour doin treework you can make 100k in a year. Be it wages or working for yourself.
 
Had my own scare today -- I cut down and was splitting a dead sycamore when I found a bug that was black with white spots, about an 1-1/4 long. No "long horns" but I didn't know if those were lost in winter or something.

I don't live in Worcester, but I worked there or in suburbs most of the time since '93 till last year, and my pickup often has debris in the back so it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to pickup a hitch hiker.

Fortunately after doing some online identification I'm 100% confident it was one of these -- and Eastern Eyed Click Beetle:
http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Eastern-Eyed-Click-Beetle
 
One thing is for sure; if it's not contained in Worcester, it's going to run like wildfire through the rest of the state.
 
Had my own scare today -- I cut down and was splitting a dead sycamore when I found a bug that was black with white spots, about an 1-1/4 long. No "long horns" but I didn't know if those were lost in winter or something.

I don't live in Worcester, but I worked there or in suburbs most of the time since '93 till last year, and my pickup often has debris in the back so it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to pickup a hitch hiker.

Fortunately after doing some online identification I'm 100% confident it was one of these -- and Eastern Eyed Click Beetle:
http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Eastern-Eyed-Click-Beetle
we have the click beatles here in pa , i dont think they kill trees. i look into it:)
 
Nope, they're pretty harmless as adults from what I read. Their larvae are "wireworms" which cause gardeners fits if they're too many of them.

Had two sycamores about 125', 150' apart on my property that died simultaneously about three years ago. Just got to taking 'em down this year, so I figure the click beetle just took advantage of the dead tree.
 
One thing is for sure; if it's not contained in Worcester, it's going to run like wildfire through the rest of the state.


The rest of New England, into Canada and there will be no stopping it. Unlike the other infestations this one is part of a 'continuous canopy'..
 
Sorry to restart this rash but last week I was on a job working construction and noticed some very round holes in the side boards of the home being built. The wood is imported to the state from Florida, cypress. They were around 1/2" diameter and bored right into the sideboards. I've seen bumble bees do this and thought nothing of it.

Later in the week I was cleaning up some debris and crawling on the scrap was what I thought to be an ALB. It had antenae similar to the beetles in pictures although this specimen didn't have them go all the way around the body and did have the white spots on the outer shells. there were two of them.

Three questions;

Does the ALB eat into processed wood, boards, or just living trees?

Are the beetles on Cape?

Who do I contact if I see another suspect?
 
I didn't see any bees making the holes or even buzzing around. What I think I saw was a beetle and that was only because of the hole I saw. Do beetles bore into boards?
 
FWIW, I did a removal on a huge sugar maple in Sullivan County, NY a few years ago. The tree was atleast 5-ft DBH, and hollow up to about 40 feet up. When I did the estimate, the homeowner wanted to know if the tree really had to come out. The canopy dominated the entire roof of the HO's house, and the house next door. Bark was peeling, and after sounding the spar with a mallet, I knew the old beast had to go.

The infestation was the worst I have ever seen. Had the little bastards crawling on me a few times while I was making my shoulder cuts airborne. Ewwww.

A couple of days later when I came by to pick up the check (didn't collect right after the job cause it was an old couple and they needed a couple of days to let a check clear in their acct or some crap...) there was a dude there putting a deck on the back of the house. He had pointed out to the HO that there were holes in the soffets on the overhang for the roof. I checked 'em out cause I was there, and they definately looked like the beetles had caused the holes.

FYI I treated the stump, surrounding area, and perimeter of the house with Diazinon (sp?) granules to hopefully kill off the beetles. The dude at Agway told me that stuff would kill them dead, but I am not so sure. The holes in the soffets looked old too, not like the beetles migrated from the tree to the house after I cut it.

T
 

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