Asian longhorned beetle
Quick facts
Asian longhorned beetle is an invasive species.
- Asian longhorned beetle prefer hardwood trees, such as maple, ash and birch.
- Adults and larvae feed on living host trees.
- The tree’s structural strength is impaired by the tunneling.
- Larvae can girdle and kill trees.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture monitors this invasive species. Please report any Asian longhorned beetles you spot at Arrest the Pest.
How to identify Asian longhorned beetles
- Adult beetles have long black and white banded antennae and a black body with irregular white blotches.
- They can be one to one and one half inches long.
- Larvae are off-white with a brown head and can grow to two inches long.
Life cycle
- Females chew oval grooves in the bark of host trees where they lay rice-size eggs.
- They can lay 25–40 eggs during the length of their adult lives.
- They begin to feed on the cambium layer, burrowing deeper into the tree during winter months.
- Adults make their way out by carving a large, pencil-size hole that is perfectly round.
Reviewed in 2019
Share this page: