Have Asian long-horned beetles reached town? Agencies set traps to determine the answer
Representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation are installing the traps along portions of Brooks Station Road, Redemption Rock Trail (Route 140), Matthews Lane and possibly other locations in Princeton.
Although the invasive beetles have not been identified in Princeton, the town was chosen because it is considered a “high risk” area because of the density and quality of host tree species. Princeton’s trees could have been exposed to the insects during the years before the beetles were detected and restrictions were put in place to restrict movement of host material out of the known infested area.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation has received a grant for trap work within Worcester County. The traps will be placed in areas both inside and outside the current Asian longhorned beetle regulated area. The DCR was awarded funds for the project from the USDA’s U.S. Forest Service.
The traps will assist the Asian longhorned beetle eradication program, sponsored by the DCR and the U.S Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, with survey efforts. If beetles are found in traps placed in Princeton, surveys would be conducted to identify the level of infestation and locate any infested trees.
Representatives from the DCR, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture, will monitor the traps from June to September within and around the quarantine area. Recently, employees from the USDA were in Princeton asking home owners for permission to place traps in trees on their property to help identify previously unknown infested areas.
Selected trees were marked with blue tape around the trunk of the tree. The next step is placing the beetle traps in the trees.
This year, 1,000 traps will be strategically placed in the lower canopy of selected trees in Worcester County. The traps will be checked every two weeks by government personnel who will carry photo identification and inform the police department that they will be in the area monitoring the traps.
Beetles that are lured into the traps will be captured in a collection jar located at the base of the trap.
The traps use a lure cocktail that resembles Asian longhorned beetle pheromones with plant volatiles of host trees. This cocktail combination has proved effective at attracting the beetles.
A pheromone is a chemical that is secreted by animals and insects which affects the psychology and behavior of the opposite sex. Plant volatiles are volatile organic chemicals released by plants.
Early detection of the beetle infestations is a critical tool for the eradication of the insect and the preservation of non-infested trees. The use of trap lines combined with field surveys is effective in identifying the boundaries of infestation, officials have said.
So far, Asian longhorned beetles have been found in Holden, Worcester, Boylston, Shrewsbury and West Boylston.