Asian Longhorned Borer or Starry Night Sky Beetle

danielj

April 12th, 2006 at 12:00 am

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can you identify this bug?
Hey Bugman,
I was surfing the web and happened upon your website and thought it was pretty cool. The thing is I’m working in Seoul, South Korea right now and a few months back I came across this big bug that I’d never seen before. I took a picture of it with my cell phone and I’ve been wondering ever since. I’ve never been able to identify it. Can you help me out.
Thanks.
Ian
PS – again, it was a cell phone camera, so the picture quality is pretty mediocre.

asian longhorned borer Asian Longhorned Borer or Starry Night Sky Beetle

Hi Ian,
Your beetle, the Asian Longhorned Borer, Anoplophora glabripennis, is a new exotic introduction to the U.S. and it is causing quite a bit of commotion. The U.S. Department of Agriculture site states: ” This beetle is a serious pest in China where it kills hardwood trees in roadside plantings, shelterbelts, and plantations. In the United States the beetle prefers maple species ( Acer spp.), including boxelder, Norway, red, silver, and sugar maples . Other known hosts are alders, birches, elms, horsechestnut, poplars, and willows . A complete list of host trees in the United States has not been determined. Currently, the only effective means to eliminate ALB is to remove infested trees and destroy them by chipping or burning. To prevent further spread of the insect, quarantines are established to avoid transporting infested trees and branches from the area. Early detection of infestations and rapid treatment response are crucial to successful eradication of the beetle. ” According to another government site, the English translations from Asian languages for this beetle’s name include Starry Night Sky Beetle and Sky Ox Beetle.