Extension News: Entomology Archives

Learn to tell it apart from similar beetles

Forest health experts fear that an exotic pest called the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), which made its way into the U.S. in wooden packing crates from China more than a decade ago, could move into New Hampshire and devastate our forest landscape.

Beetle not yet found in N.H.

"So far, we haven't found ALB in New Hampshire," says UNH Cooperative Extension entomologist, Dr. Stan Swier. "But since the beetle was discovered in Worcester and near Boston, Massachusetts, state and federal officials have mounted a massive eradication program there, expected to last many years and to cost tens of millions of dollars."

Beetle behavior

"The female ALB chews holes in the trunks and branches of many hardwood species--especially maples, but also birch, elm, ash, poplar, willow, horsechesnut, and many more--to lay her eggs," says Swier. "The eggs hatch, and the larvae excavate large galleries inside the tree, disrupting sap flow, weakening and eventually killing it. ALB attacks many hardwood trees, but is most common in maple and birch."

Beetle threatens forest values

"New Hampshire's 4.6 million forested acres provide the scenic natural backdrop for the quality of life we all enjoy," says Swier. "Our timber industries are collectively worth $2 billion and support 21,000 jobs. Forests also help protect our water quality, prevent flooding, provide wildlife habitat, give us our maple syrup industry, and support many recreational activities for both tourists and residents alike."

Prevention: first line of defense

"Prevention is our first line of defense, followed by aggressive eradication programs if the beetle is found," says Swier. "The beetle can move around in firewood. It's important not to bring in firewood from out of state. The larva burrows deeply into the tree, making it extremely difficult to control. We currently have no biological control methods for this pest."

"Chemicals can reduce the problem on landscape trees, but aren't practical in a forest. Chemicals cannot eradicate ALB," says Swier. "Once the beetle has been discovered, it becomes a very expensive search-and-destroy operation, involving cutting, burning and chipping."

Citizen monitoring is working

"With nearly five million forested acres in New Hampshire, we believe ordinary citizen observers are the most important key to identifying this potential threat," Swier says. "In cooperation with the Division of Forests an Lands and the N.H. Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food, Cooperative Extension held many workshops and twilight meeting around the state.

Swier says the statewide call for citizen involvement is working. "We are currently getting bombarded with hundreds of calls and emails from citizens who are seeing beetles that look a lot like ALB.

Distinguishing ALB from look-alikes

"The ALB is often confused with the somewhat smaller whitespotted sawyer (WSS), a common, non-threatening beetle that feeds on dying conifers, rather than hardwoods. WSS are flying now, and people who see them are concerned they may be the ALB. The ALB adults typically don't emerge until mid-July.

Adult ALB are large (0.75 - 1.50 inches long), with very long black-and-white-banded antennae. The body is glossy black with irregular white spots. The feet are bluish.

The WSS males are metallic black with one white dot at the base of the wing covers. Females are brown with speckles and also have the white dot at the base of the wing covers. The ALB doesn't have this white dot, though it has many white spots on its wing covers.

This fact sheet will help you distinguish between the two beetles. Or visit our ALB web page for general information about the invasive beetle.

If you think you may have found an ALB

If you can snap a close-up digital photo of your beetle, send it by email attachment to suzanne.hebert@unh.edu.

Alternatively, place an intact beetle into a small, crush-proof container and mail it along with your contact information to the Arthropod Identification Lab, UNH Cooperative Extension, Spaulding Hall G28, 38 Academic Way, Durham, 03824. There's no charge for either service.

Call our Info Line, 1-877-398-4769, M-F, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., or Wednesdays, 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., with questions about insect identification, plant diseases, and other problems with your garden or home grounds. You can also email us at answers@unh.edu.

They appear seemingly from nowhere, massing on walls or windows, buzzing around the room, landing on furniture, your arm, your computer monitor.

Several species of insects invade homes in the fall and remain through the winter, often hidden inside walls. When temperatures rise in the spring, they appear again, this time trying to get out. During the winter they just hang out, waiting for spring.

Don't worry! None of these six-legged invaders causes disease, bites, stings, or attacks stored foods, the home's structure, or its furnishings.

To learn more, check out our new fact sheet, Seasonal Insect Invaders in New Hampshire Homes, by Extension entomologist Alan Eaton. It profiles five seasonal insect invaders: cluster flies, boxelder bugs, multi-colored Asian ladybugs, western conifer seed bugs, and a newcomer on the scene, the brown marmorated stinkbug.

You'll be hearing more about the brown marmorated stinkbug as its numbers increase and it spreads beyond the Seacoast towns where it first showed up last summer. While it won't cause indoor problems, the new stinkbug has caused significant damage to fruit and vegetable crops in parts of the nation where it has become better established.

Seasonal Insect Invaders in New Hampshire Homes

Photo of Western conifer seed bug by Alan Eaton

Watch it! Living With Lyme: NH's Exploding Epidemic
(July 11 WMUR Chronicle show in six segments; click on Chronicle in lower left sidebar to find remaining segments)

Blacklegged ticks (formerly called deer ticks) are active now throughout much of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire is home to 15 species of ticks, many of which can deliver a nasty infection, but infected blacklegged ticks can transmit Lyme Disease a potentially serious bacterial illness.

"The blacklegged tick itself becomes infected with Lyme Disease-causing bacteria by feeding on an infected 'reservoir host,' an organism that carries high levels of the bacteria in its bloodstream," says Eaton. "In New Hampshire, the primary reservoir host for Lyme Disease is the white-footed mouse."

"The state monitoring program in previous years has found that half the adult blacklegged ticks collected in Strafford, Rockingham and Hillsborough Counties, and 20 percent to 50 percent in Merrimack County carried the Lyme Disease bacterium," says Eaton.

Protect yourself

"Although the risk of acquiring Lyme Disease is greatest in June and early July, adult blacklegged ticks are active now in many parts of New Hampshire," says Eaton. To protect yourself and your family, Eaton and public health officials offer the following tips:

• Perform tick checks after being outdoors. Inspect all body surfaces carefully (including scalp, hair, around and inside the ears, and between the toes).Removing ticks early can reduce the risk of infection. Remove attached ticks with tweezers. Grasp the tick firmly and as close to the skin as possible. With a steady motion, pull the tick's body away from the skin. Avoid crushing the tick's body.
• Try to avoid walking through tall grass and brushy areas, prime habitats for ticks.
• If you do walk into tick territory, wear protective clothing. Long pants and long sleeves help keep ticks off skin. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirts into pants to keep ticks on the outside of clothing. Tape the area where pants and socks meet so ticks can't crawl under clothing.
• Light-colored clothing makes it easier to spot ticks.
• Use insect repellent on clothes and exposed skin. Always follow the label when applying a pesticide.
• Don't use DEET on babies younger than two months old, and use a preparation containing less than 30 percent DEET on young children.
• Pressurized spray products containing the insecticide permethrin sprayed on clothing will kill ticks that attach themselves to the clothing. Never apply permethrin-containing products directly to the skin. Spray them on clothing before you put it on.
• After being outdoors, wash and dry clothing at a high temperature to kill any ticks that may remain on clothing.
• Don't try to remove a tick using Vaseline, a hot match, nail polish, or other products.
• After removing the tick, clean the bitten area with an antiseptic.
• Monitor the site of any tick bite for signs of infection, and monitor your overall health closely after a tick bite, staying alert for signs and symptoms.
• To reduce ticks around the home where people spend time, keep grass short, remove leaf litter, and create a wood-chip or gravel barrier where the yard meets the woods.

Public awareness high, self-protection low

Key findings from a 2008 survey conducted by the UNH Survey Center show that state residents could do more to lower the incidence of Lyme Disease in New Hampshire:

• Most Granite Staters have heard of Lyme Disease and understand that it is transmitted by a tick bite.
• More than half the state's residents look for and remove ticks after they've been outdoors during tick season.
• Less than one in 10 residents use all three forms of tick protection: insect repellent, wearing long clothes, and performing a daily body check for ticks.

For more information

Insect Repellents includes information on several new active ingredients, including some that work on ticks.

Biology and Management of Ticks in New Hampshire Comprehensive fact sheet provides information on tick-borne diseases, tick species and their life cycles, and tick control measures.

NHDHHS Lyme Disease information
Lyme Disease fact sheet

The 2009 Lyme Disease report from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NHDHHS) notes that cases of Lyme Disease in the Granite State declined somewhat last year. The highest rates of disease occurred in Rockingham, Hillsborough and Strafford Counties.

For specific concerns or questions about tick-borne diseases, call the NHDHHS, Bureau of Communicable Disease Control at 271-4496 or 800-852-3345 x4496 (N.H. only).

To have a tick identified

Residents who want to have a tick identified have two options:

UNH Arthropod ID Laboratory
Fee is $5. Follow directions on submission form for preparing specimen. Mail or walk-ins.

Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food No fee. Residents can also take advantage of this service by dropping off specimens at the NHDHHS Building at 29 Hazen Drive in Concord. Please read the submission form for proper preparation of specimen.

Note: Laboratories identify tick species, but don't test for the presence of disease-causing organisms.

Photo credit: Blacklegged tick, by Alan Eaton, UNH Cooperative Extension

"Beetle Blitz" will recruit and educate citizen monitors

Forest health experts fear that an exotic pest called the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), which made its way into the U.S. in wooden packing crates from China more than a decade ago, could move into New Hampshire and devastate our forest landscape.

To prevent an infestation, the state's Forest Pest Advisory Committee has planned a "beetle blitz" later this summer and fall to raise public awareness and recruit citizen volunteers to monitor forest and landscape trees for signs of the insect.

Beetle not yet found in N.H.
"So far, we haven't found ALB in New Hampshire," says UNH Cooperative Extension entomologist, Dr. Stan Swier. "But last summer, the beetle was discovered in Worcester, Massachusetts. State and federal officials have mounted a massive eradication program there, expected to last many years and to cost tens of millions of dollars."

First discovered in Brooklyn in 1996, the beetle turned up in other New York sites, New Jersey, Chicago, Toronto before being discovered in Worcester.

Beetle behavior
"The female ALB chews holes in the trunks and branches of many hardwood species--especially maples, but also birch, elm, ash, poplar, willow, horsechesnut, and many more--to lay her eggs," says Swier. "The eggs hatch, and the larvae excavate large galleries inside the tree, disrupting sap flow, weakening and eventually killing it. ALB attacks many hardwood trees, but is most common in maple and birch."

Beetle threatens forest values
"New Hampshire's 4.6 million forested acres provide the scenic natural backdrop for the quality of life we all enjoy," says Swier. "Our timber industries are collectively worth $2 billion and support 21,000 jobs. Forests also help protect our water quality, prevent flooding, provide wildlife habitat, give us our maple syrup industry, and support many recreational activities for both tourists and residents alike.

"Because the beetle attacks many different tree species, scientists fear an infestation could have long-lasting negative impacts on the entire forest ecosystem if it became established over a large area," Swier says.

Prevention: first line of defense
"Prevention is our first line of defense, followed by aggressive eradication programs if the beetle is found," says Swier. "The larva burrows deeply into the tree, making it extremely difficult to control. We currently have no biological control methods for this pest, although the USDA is conducting experiments testing the effectiveness of some insecticides.

"Chemicals reduce the problem on landscape trees but aren't practical in a forest. Chemicals cannot eradicate ALB.
"Once the beetle has been discovered, it becomes a very expensive search-and-destroy operation, involving cutting, burning and chipping." says Swier.

A call to citizen action
"With nearly five million forested acres in New Hampshire, we believe ordinary citizen observers are the most important key to identifying this potential threat," Swier says. "To that end, we're organizing a 'beetle blitz' of citizen awareness programs, beginning with two early-evening "twilight" meetings, August 18 in Manchester and August 25 in Portsmouth, from 5:30 to 8:30."

"Volunteers will sign up to join specific groups for the survey in their community. Each group will survey for ALB the following Saturday morning, by inspecting suitable host trees within a specifically designated grid area for that group.

"Cooperative Extension staff will follow the initial meetings with similar workshops in each of the state's 10 counties over the fall and winter, as well as with a series of train-the-trainer meetings for garden club members, master gardeners, community tree stewards, and others," Swier says.

"As people learn to recognize the adult ALB and its emergence holes, we hope they'll alert the state authorities: the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food, the Division of Forests and Lands, or their local Cooperative Extension office.

Primary means for distribution: firewood moving in from infested areas
"The primary way the beetle may move into New Hampshire is on firewood," says Swier. "People transport firewood long distances, especially to summer camps. In late May, both State and Federal regulators banned the movement of firewood into government-owned parks and the White Mountain National Forest. We've identified residents of the Worcester area who own property in New Hampshire and sent individual letters to them all, urging them not to bring firewood into the state and to notify us if they have.

For more information

Beetle blitz kickoff workshops, August 18 and 25 Learn more about the threat to forest and landscape trees, how to scout for and identify ALB signs, and how to participate as a citizen monitor.

N.H. Asian Longhorned Beetle Web site

Video clip: Dr. Stan Swier talks about ALB

Contact information
Dr. Stan Swier
Dept Biological Sciences, UNH
Spaulding Hall, 38 Academic Way
Durham, NH 03824
Ph. ( 603) 781-8248 (cell)
Fax: (603) 862-2717
Email: stan.swier@unh.edu

Blacklegged ticks (formerly called deer ticks) are active now throughout much of New Hampshire. June is especially important, because the nymphs (immature forms) of blacklegged ticks are active, and they can transmit Lyme Disease more quickly than the adults.

American dog tick, which doesn't transmit Lyme Disease, will probably be active until some time in August (depends on rainfall).

If you suspect a tick has been biting more than a few hours, consider having it identified once you remove it. (Tweezers or forceps can help with the removal.).

To protect yourself:

• Avoid thick brush and tall grass when ticks are active.
• Use tick repellent on socks and pantlegs (or legs if you wear shorts).
• Check yourself for ticks at the end of the day; remember that they can crawl under your clothing, between your toes, and behind or on your ears.
• Remove attached ticks promptly.
.

New UNH Cooperative Extension publications that can help

Insect Repellents includes information on several new active ingredients, including some that work on ticks.

Biology and Management of Ticks in New Hampshire Comprehensive fact sheet has been updated and expanded to include much new information on diseases, tick species, and controls.

Alan Eaton, UNH Cooperative Extension entomology specialist

Photo credit (blacklegged tick biting): Alan Eaton

As voters prepare to discuss town budget articles, UNH Cooperative Extension entomologist Dr. Alan Eaton has posted an updated 15-page paper on mosquito-borne diseases in New Hampshire, and the various options to manage the problem.

If your town is considering spending money on mosquito management, you'll find this publication especially helpful.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)
EEE is the most common and severe of these diseases. In 2005, New Hampshire had the highest number of human EEE cases in the nation, prompting much attention to ways of reducing the risk.

Many towns and cities started discussing mosquito monitoring or spraying programs, particularly in Rockingham County, the part of the state with the highest risk for EEE. There are many ways to reduce EEE risk, including new insect-repellents options for individuals.

Personal protection: new publication on insect repellents
Eaton has also posted a companion publication titled Insect Repellents, which covers the DEET-based repellents on which we have relied for many years, as well as Picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus and other active ingredients.

Ghostly apparitions emerge from the morning fog.

Many are old bedsheets and tablecloths draped over the vegetable garden's best tomato plant or still-green pumpkins. (Just another week without a frost is all I ask!)

But the most impressive of these spooky sightings are the trees draped with masses of light gray, silken webbing. They're inhabited by a caterpillar called the fall webworm, which seems particularly abundant this year.

I suspect it's because our cool wet summer favored caterpillar survival and reproduction over that of their natural predators, various wasps for instance.

Those hairy webworms eating your leaves at the moment will live in the soil this winter as pupae, emerging next July as pure white moths. Then the cycle will begin again.

Unlike that spring pest, the Eastern tent caterpillar, the fall webworm isn't very harmful to the plants it feeds on. Unsightly perhaps, but the leaf feeding happens so late in the year that little damage is done to the health of the tree.

Why not think of the nests as early Halloween decorations? I know I've seen worse draped over trees.

Article and photo by Steve Turaj, Coos County Agricultural Resources Educator

A new report from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NHDHHS) notes that cases of Lyme Disease in the Granite State rose 43 percent last year, from 619 in 2006 to 892 in 2007.

The highest rates of disease occurred in Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough, Merrimack, and Carroll Counties.

The culprit: blacklegged tick
"The state monitoring program found that half the adult blacklegged ticks collected in Strafford, Rockingham and Hillsborough Counties, and 20 percent to 50 percent in Merrimack County carried the Lyme disease bacterium," says UNH Cooperative Extension entomologist Alan Eaton.

Eaton adds, "New Hampshire is home to 15 species of ticks, but the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis, also called the "deer tick") is the one that transmits Lyme disease."

"The blacklegged tick itself becomes infected with Lyme disease-causing bacteria by feeding on an infected 'reservoir host,' an organism that carries high levels of the bacteria in its bloodstream," says Eaton. "In New Hampshire, the primary reservoir host for Lyme disease is the white-footed mouse."

Protect yourself
"Although the risk of acquiring Lyme disease is greatest in June and July, adult blacklegged ticks are becoming active now in southeastern New Hampshire," says Eaton. To protect yourself and your family, Eaton and public health officials recommend:

• When possible, avoid walking through tall grass and brushy areas, prime habitats for ticks.
• If you do walk into tick territory, wear protective clothing. Long pants and long sleeves help keep ticks off skin. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirts into pants to keep ticks on the outside of clothing. Tape the area where pants and socks meet so ticks can't crawl under clothing.
• Light-colored clothing will make it easier to spot ticks.
• Use insect repellent containing 20 percent to 50 percent DEET on clothes and exposed skin.
• Don't use DEET on babies younger than two months old, and use a preparation containing less than 30 percent DEET on young children.
• Pressurized spray products containing the insecticide permethrin sprayed on clothing will kill ticks that attach themselves to the clothing. Never apply permethrin-containing products directly to the skin. Spray them on clothing before you put it on. Always follow the label when applying a pesticide.
• After being outdoors, wash and dry clothing at a high temperature to kill any ticks that may remain on clothing.
• Perform tick checks after being outdoors. Removing ticks early can reduce the risk of infection. Inspect all body surfaces carefully (including scalp, hair, and between the toes) and remove attached ticks with tweezers. Grasp the tick firmly and as close to the skin as possible. With a steady motion, pull the tick's body away from the skin. Avoid crushing the tick's body.
• Don't try to remove a tick using Vaseline, a hot match, nail polish, or other products.
  
• After removing the tick, clean the bitten area with an antiseptic.
• Monitor the site of any tick bite for signs of infection, and monitor your overall health closely after a tick bite, staying alert for signs and symptoms.
• To reduce ticks around the home where people spend time, keep grass short, remove leaf litter, and create a wood-chip or gravel barrier where the yard meets the woods,

To have a tick identified
Residents who want to have a tick identified have two options:

UNH Arthropod ID Laboratory
Fee is $5. Follow directions on submission form for preparing specimen. Mail or walk-ins.

Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food No fee. Residents can also take advantage of this service by dropping off specimens at the Health and Human Services Building at 29 Hazen Drive in Concord. Please read submission form for proper preparation of specimen.

Note: Laboratories identify tick species, but don't test for presence of disease-causing organisms.

More information

NHDHHS general Lyme disease information
Lyme disease fact sheet
New Hampshire Tick-Borne Disease Bulletin: 2007 Update
Biology and Control of Ticks in New Hampshire

Photo credit: Alan Eaton, UNH Cooperative Extension