While the Asian longhorned beetle is most active in the summer months, Farmingdale residents are being advised to be on the lookout for these insidious insects.
First discovered in Amityville in 1996, Asian longhorned beetles are destructive wood-boring pests that feed on hardwood. To prevent the infestation from spreading, the United States Department of Agriculture issued a federal order to quarantine the area, that originally extended from Massapequa into Amityville.
Now, as the result of a recent infestation reported in areas surrounding the Republic Airport in Farmingdale, the United States Department of Agriculture has extended its quarantine area to include areas up to Rt. 109 and Main Street through to Round Swamp Road in
Bethpage.
“We have increased our quarantine area extensively,” said Joe Gittleman, who works with the USDA’s Asian longhorned beetle cooperative Eradication Project.
According to Gittleman, the Amityville quarantine area has grown to a total of 51 square miles. Meanwhile, quarantines in Islip, as well as Manhattan and Staten Island, have been lifted after the USDA declared the asian longhorned bettle infestations were eradicated.
“Given the new detection of ALB on Long Island, the eradication program will focus on survey efforts in and around the newly affected area,” said Josie Ryan, national operations manager for the Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program.
Surveys of the quarantined area will continue to be performed to detect any infestations and any infested trees will continue to be removed. Since 1996, 6,381 infested trees and 12,183 high-risk trees, such as maple and other hardwood trees, have been removed in New York State.
Gittleman reminds residents that when hiring someone to take down any trees, to make sure they are certified to work in the ALB quarantine area, so it does not spread the infestation further.
Anyone who witnesses the ALB are urged to call 1-866-702-9938 or visit http://asianlonghornedbeetle.com/report-your-findings to report it.
