Feb 11, 2012 – Asian Longhorned Problems
QUESTION:
Any new product development for control of Asian Longhorned Beetles?
ANSWER:
Unfortunately no, if you mean is there some fantastic new product that just wipes them out. They can be killed with many of our current insecticides, but the problems are the cost of treating wide scale hardwood areas and the logistics of doing so. If you have customers with valuable hardwood trees - maple, birch, willow, elm, ash, and others - you can do a preventive treatment that can be very helpful. This is done with imidacloprid (Merit) applied to the soil around the base of the tree early in the year, and for the upper Northeast this may be early in March. The active ingredient is taken up by the roots of the tree and it flows up with water to end up in terminal twigs and foliage, lasting there for the season. As adult beetles feed on these twigs and foliage it is hoped that they are killed, thus at least reducing the beetles in an area and providing some protection for that tree and nearby trees.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
Any new product development for control of Asian Longhorned Beetles?
ANSWER:
Unfortunately no, if you mean is there some fantastic new product that just wipes them out. They can be killed with many of our current insecticides, but the problems are the cost of treating wide scale hardwood areas and the logistics of doing so. If you have customers with valuable hardwood trees - maple, birch, willow, elm, ash, and others - you can do a preventive treatment that can be very helpful. This is done with imidacloprid (Merit) applied to the soil around the base of the tree early in the year, and for the upper Northeast this may be early in March. The active ingredient is taken up by the roots of the tree and it flows up with water to end up in terminal twigs and foliage, lasting there for the season. As adult beetles feed on these twigs and foliage it is hoped that they are killed, thus at least reducing the beetles in an area and providing some protection for that tree and nearby trees.
Bayer also offers a product called CoreTect Tree and Shrub Tablets, also containing imidacloprid but along with fertilizer and micronutrients to help the treated trees stay healthier. These are easily applied into the soil around the base of the tree where they dissolve and the a.i. once again taken up by the roots. Neither of these products is likely to kill beetle larvae already feeding under the bark of an infested tree, as the active ingredient does not tend to settle in the cambium layer where the larvae feed. They should be considered preventive only.
In an article on the Asian Longhorn some years ago the authors mentioned that they sprayed the foliage of trees where it was suspected that the adult beetles might be feeding, using Demand microencapsulated product. What they observed was that within minutes the adult beetles were falling out of the tree to die on the ground, and they considered this to be a good way to sample for the presence of this destructive beetle. The adults are huge - over an inch long - and shiny blue with white spots, so they are pretty distinctive and noticeable when they drop. Demand CS is labeled for ornamental trees, although not specifically for longhorn beetles, so you should check with your local regulatory agency to see if your state is one that permits the use of a product if the site is on the label but the specific pest is not.
And, with the recent new restrictive labeling on pyrethroids for outdoor use hopefully the uses on turf and ornamentals will not be affected. At this time the new wording specifically exempts use on turf and other vegetation from the new "spot or crack and crevice" requirements.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
