It’s again time for pool owners to check their filters and skimmers for the Asian longhorned beetle. If you find one, please report it during the annual Citizen Pool Survey being held through Aug. 30 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
If you don’t have a pool, you can still help. DEC expanded its survey to include photo submissions from anyone who spots a suspect beetle, even if the beetle isn’t found in a pool.
You can find all the details about the survey here.
The Asian longhorned beetle is an exotic, invasive beetle that can cause serious damage to our forests and street trees.
This is the time of year when ALBs are expected to become adults, emerge from the trees they are infesting and become active outside those trees.
ALBs are originally from Asia and have caused the death of hundreds of thousands of trees across the nation, particularly in maple trees in New York City; Long Island; New Jersey; Chicago; Worcester, Mass., and Clermont, Ohio.
Pool monitoring offers a simple, economical alternative to traditional procedures for detecting ALBs in New York State and may become New York’s most effective method. With citizens involved in looking for this pest, there is a better chance of finding new infestations early, which will help DEC and other state and federal agencies focus their efforts to eliminate infestations.