The first Asian longhorned beetle infestation in East Fork was discovered recently.

The first Asian longhorned beetle infestation in East Fork was discovered recently.
By Kelly Cantwell
Editor

A new Asian longhorned beetle infestation was discovered recently in a section of the East Fork Wildlife Area in Williamsburg Township.

This is the first time that ALB has been discovered in East Fork or in Williamsburg. The infestation is about a half of a mile from another infested area in Tate Township south of Clover Road, said Dan Kenny, assistant chief of the plant health division with the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Contract surveyors doing a regular survey of trees outside of the quarantine area discovered the infestation a few weeks ago.

“While it’s disappointing to find it outside the quarantine area, we weren’t extremely shocked,” Kenny said.

Tree inspection crews are continuing to inspect the area to get a handle on how large the infestation is. They will inspect about a half of a mile away from the site.

“We’ve covered a lot of ground already to the east of the find and to the south of it, so we’re making good progress,” Kenny said.

The ODA will work with the landowner, which in this case is the Department of Natural Resources, once they complete surveying.

“The infested trees will likely be removed at some point in the near future,” Kenny said.

While East Fork has not been infested before, high risk trees have been removed.

“It really isn’t extremely surprising to find outliers like this,” Kenny said.

The ODA will expand the quarantine to include areas near the new infestation after tree inspection crews are finished examining the area nearby, according to a press release.

ALB was found in Tate Township for the first time in June 2011. There are currently 61 square miles regulated, which includes Tate Township, East Fork State Park and part of Monroe, Stonelick and Batavia Townships, the release states.

As of Nov. 5, 18,684 infested trees have been confirmed in the county, 18,081 infested trees have been removed and 69,516 high risk host trees have been removed, according to information from the Ohio ALB Cooperative Eradication Program.

“We feel like things are going well. We continue to make progress,” Kenny said.

Surveyors are seeing fewer and fewer beetles in the summer when they are active. Kenny feels that things are progressing as expected.

“We do the best we can covering the ground with the resources we have,” he said.

Kenny encourages residents in the area to inspect their trees for signs of ALB and if they see any, call the local office at 513-381-7180.

“Signs of infestation include perfectly round exit holes (about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter) made by adult beetles when they emerge from trees; the pockmarks on tree trunks and branches where female beetles deposit eggs; frass (wood shavings and saw dust) produced by larvae feeding and tunneling; early fall coloration of leaves or dead branches; and running sap produced by the tree at the egg laying sites or in response to larval tunneling,” the release states.

ALB invests trees such as maple, buckeye, willow and elm.