Text: U.S. Agriculture Department on Asian Longhorned Beetle
(New attempt to eradicate pest using pesticide imidacloprid)The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in a press release April 25 that it has begun began a new offensive against the tree-killing Asian longhorned beetle with pilot applications of the pesticide imidacloprid.
U.S. agriculture officials have been seeking environmentally sound means to eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle, an invasive insect native to China. One method has been the outright removal of trees, and authorities have resorted to removing more than 4,300 trees in and around New York City and more than 1,200 trees in the Chicago area in an effort to combat the pest.
Following is the text of the news release:
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USDA TO CONDUCT IMIDACLOPRID TREATMENTS TO FIGHT ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2000 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to conduct chemical treatments to assist in its efforts to eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle.
"Asian longhorned beetle is devastating urban landscapes in Chicago and New York," said Michael V. Dunn, under secretary for USDA's marketing and regulatory programs. "We need to use whatever environmentally sound means necessary to eradicate this pest."
"This systemic insecticide will help suppress the population of adult beetles and slow their spread," Dunn said. "We are constantly researching tools and methods that may be helpful in our battle against this tree-killing pest."
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has completed an environmental assessment that considered the impact of an Asian longhorned beetle control program using the systemic insecticide imidacloprid. APHIS concluded that the implementation of the proposed treatments would result in no significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Based on the finding of no significant impact, APHIS can proceed without completing a full environmental impact statement.
APHIS, a part of USDA's marketing and regulatory programs mission area, began pilot treatments of imidacloprid in Chicago and New York last week. Two methods of delivering the pesticide will be used: soil and trunk injections. Field tests of this insecticide are also being conducted to determine the full range of protective benefits it offers to uninfested trees and to continue to refine methods of application.
The Asian longhorned beetle, native to China, bores into healthy hardwood trees, feeds on living tree tissue during the larval 3 stage, and later emerges through an almost half-inch hole. To fight this invasive species, agriculture officials have been forced to remove more than 4,300 trees in and around New York City and more than 1,200 trees in the Chicago area.
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