Asian Longhorned Beetle(Anoplophora glabripennis)Latin Name: Anoplophora glabripennis
Common Name: Asian longhorned beetle
Appearance:
The Asian long-horned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) is commonly known as the starry sky, sky beetle, or ALB (Asian long-horned beetle). Adult Asian longhorn beetles are glossy black with varying white patterns and are 20 to 40mm (0.8 to 1.6 inches) in length. They have prominent antennae, or ‘horns,’ that may be up to double the size of the body and are black with white or light blue bands.
Adults:
Adults appear from spring through fall, most notably from late June to early July. Adults remain on or near their emerging tree and eat on leaves, petioles, and delicate bark as they mature. Under the bark, eggs are placed singly in egg places eaten by females.
Larvae:
Larvae feed in the tree’s cambium layer and afterward in the heartwood. Larvae excavate pupation chambers inside the tree, which they might fill with frass. Adults emerge through enormous (0.4 in. [1 cm] dia) circular exit pores, which are a noticeable indicator of infection.
Host plants: Ash, Birch, Elm, and Horse chestnut/buckeye are the host plants.
Territory:
The Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky, is native to Asia (mainly China) but has become invasive in portions of Western Europe and some American cities.
Damage caused by Asian Longhorned Beetle:
glabripennis affects both healthy and stressed trees. Within a single tree, several generations can emerge, finally destroying it.
Life history and Habits:
The insect will complete its life cycle in one, two, three, or four years depending on where it lives. The following are characteristics of the life cycle. From May until October, adult beetles are active. Adults eat and mate on treetops. Females deposit eggs in holes chewed in the bark. In the summer, eggs are deposited and hatch in two to three weeks. Larvae (grubs) go through seven to eight instars of development. Pupation takes place in the spring. In Asia, the life cycle from egg to larval to beetle takes one to two years, and it may take longer in the UK. Beetles emerge in the spring to mate and deposit eggs before dying. A beetle emerges from its exit hole in the image below.
