Help New York DEC watch for Asian longhorned Beetles
ALBANY — New York’s environmental agency wants to bolster its battle against invasive Asian longhorned beetles by tapping into a widespread network of bug traps, your backyard swimming pool filters.
The Department of Environmental Conservation is recruiting pool owners to participate in a survey through Aug. 30 to watch for the beetles before they cause serious damage to forests and street trees.
Asian longhorned beetles have killed hundreds of thousands of trees across the country by boring into the trunks. There has been heavy damage to maples in Long Island, parts of New York City, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Illinois. Foresters have responded by cutting down and removing infested trees.
