Money Sought To Fight Invasive Species, Including Asian Long-horned Beetle

Those experts spoke with congressional aides July 31 at the start of a two-day tour of Chicago sites invaded by alien species such as the Asian long-horned beetle, purple loosestrife – now choking native plants out of wetlands around the country – and the zebra mussel.

Richard Rominger, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said if the beetle now chewing up thousands of trees in Chicago and New York spread nationwide it could do $41 billion damage to the nation's fields, forests and tourism industry.

The tour started in the Ravenswood core of Asian long-horned beetle infestation, where senior city forester Joe McCarthy pointed out the problem of replacing trees with anything larger than seedlings. Larger-diameter trees have trouble taking root, and he pointed out several that are turning yellow and losing leaves.

Other invasive species on the tour included garlic mustard, the round goby fish, gypsy moths and pine-shoot beetles.

GOOD NEWS FOR CHICAGO SUBURB (SO FAR). According to a report in the Daily Southtown, the Asian long-horned beetle has yet to appear in Summit, a village within the city of Chicago, this year, but both federal and state agriculture officials continue to keep a close watch for the insects in the village. The beetles were first discovered in Summit in August 1998, resulting in seven village trees being cut down.

In mid-July, a maple tree in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood was found to be infested with the beetles, prompting Mayor Richard Daley to renew his call for the public to keep an eye out for the bugs.

While there have been no new sightings of the bugs in Summit, areas of the village remain under a federal and state quarantine that makes it illegal to remove beetles from the area and to cut or remove tree limbs more than a half inch in diameter.

In June crews from both the federal and state agriculture departments injected pesticides into trees in Summit to try to stop the spread of any beetles that might be nesting in the trees.

For more information about the Asian long-horned beetle click here: Big Apple Has A Worm – The Asian Long-horned Beetle.

Above information compiled from articles by Chicago Sun-Times writer Brenda Warner Rotzoll and Daily Southtown writer Rex Robinson.