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DEC hopes to mitigate damage of Asian longhorn beetle, seeks help in St. Lawrence County

Posted 7/29/15

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is trying to mitigate serious damage to St. Lawrence County and elsewhere that the invasive beetle could cause. Owners of swimming pools in St. …

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DEC hopes to mitigate damage of Asian longhorn beetle, seeks help in St. Lawrence County

Posted

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is trying to mitigate serious damage to St. Lawrence County and elsewhere that the invasive beetle could cause.

Owners of swimming pools in St. Lawrence County and elsewhere are being asked to join an Asian longhorn beetle (ALB) Swimming Pool Survey, now through Aug. 30. The project is aimed at keeping watch for these exotic, invasive beetles before they cause serious damage to forests and street trees, DEC said. The survey takes place this time of year when ALBs are expected to become adults, emerge from the trees they are infesting and become active outside those trees.

The bugs are originally from Asia and have caused the death of hundreds of thousands of trees across the nation, particularly in maple trees in the northeast United States.

DEC’s Forest Health Program developed a survey to track ALBs for homeowners who have swimming pools and are willing to keep an eye out for these insects.

Pool monitoring offers what DEC calls “a simple, economical alternative to traditional procedures for surveying ALBs in the state.” It also has the potential to become New York's most effective method for detecting ALBs, DEC said.

“With citizens involved in looking for this pest, there is a better chance of finding new infestations early, helping DEC and other state and federal agencies focus their efforts to eliminate infestations,” DEC said in a prepared statement.

In addition to owning a swimming pool, participants will need:

• A digital camera.

• An e-mail address.

• The ability to send a photo via email or text message.

Those that don't have a pool can still help. DEC expanded its photo collection to include anyone who spots a suspect beetle, whether it is found in their pool or not.

Residents are also encouraged to submit photos if there is suspicion of an emerald ash borer or another invasive pest damaging trees.

Photos can be submitted to the forest health program email address listed below.

Directions for participating in the pool survey are outlined below:

Step 1: Starting in the last week of July, through the last week of August (when adults are active), at least once a week, or when you clean your pool, check the debris collected in your filter and skimmers.

Step 2: Look for the ALB (See what it looks like on DEC's ALB web page). Contact the Forest Health Program (see phone number and email address below) and we will provide a sheet to help identify insects collected.

Step 3: Take a picture of any insect you think might be an ALB.

Step 4: Send the photos of the insects that look like ALB to foresthealth@dec.ny.gov.

Step 6: Freeze the insect in a plastic container until DEC staff respond (typically that will be about a week). Staff will either instruct you to discard the insect or give instructions on mailing it, delivering it, or arranging for pick-up.

More info: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7255.html.

Survey signups: foresthealth@dec.ny.gov or (518)478-7813