Asian Longhorned Beetle

Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive wood-boring insect that attacks a variety of tree species, including maple, poplar, willow, and elm. The beetle and its larvae create large tunnels in trees, often weakening them enough to cause breakage in the wind. The species has not yet been detected in Manitoba. The beetle was detected in Vaughn and Toronto, Ontario in 2003 and was officially declared eradicated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in April 2013.

What to Look For

Asian longhorned beetle is similar in size and shape to Manitoba’s native pine sawyer beetle, but ALB feeds voraciously on hardwoods, while our native pine sawyer beetle feeds on conifers and is not currently a forest threat. Asian longhorned beetle has a shiny black back with vivid white spots and can be up to 3cm long. The beetle has long antennae banded with black and white.

Signs of Asian longhorned beetle infestation are 1cm diameter holes in the trunks and collection of sawdust at the base of trees. The larvae burrow deeper into the wood of the tree as they mature. As adults, they chew their way out of the tree, leaving exit holes of 1 cm wide. The adults will also feed on the ends of twigs, causing the tree’s leaves to wilt and die.

Preventing Asian Longhorned Beetle

Don’t Transport Firewood – Burn it Where You Buy It! ALB can be transported to Manitoba in firewood and other wood products.