Experts say detection of Asian longhorned beetle is “concerning” after being found in Mount Pleasant
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Clemson University officials detected an invasive beetle species in Mount Pleasant, and are now working to contain the spread.
The Asian longhorned beetle is a wood-boring beetles that kills hardwood trees such as maple, elm, birch, or willow trees. The insects spend their lifecycle as larva in the wood, feeding off of it and interrupting the sap flow.
“On the individual tree basis, I mean they do create galleries inside the wood so you can have the whole trunk come down. You could have big limbs come down as bore down the inside and basically create voids that kill the tree ultimately,” Eddie Bernard, urban forester for Town of Mount Pleasant, said. “As well, they weaken the wood they are in.”
This is not the first time they have been detected in South Carolina, as experts have been working to eradicate the population in Hollywood since May 2020.
“Some of the Clemson regulatory folks found some infested trees over in Mount Pleasant, which is outside of the current quarantine zone, and it was not one tree. It was several trees fairly infested. We’ve sent those off to do some analysis and we know it is the same – it matches the population of Hollywood,” David Coyle, forest health and basic species associate professor for Clemson University, said.
The infestation has been identified to be located in the Sweetgrass Plaza and in the Seaside Farms subdivision. Clemson and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin quarantining the trees by wrapping them with an identifier and a QR code. They ask people do not move or touch the trees or debris as they said that’s how it spreads.
“Very concerning because this beetle by itself doesn’t travel that far really it’s not a good flyer. It’s you know what I would call kind a lazy beetle. It tends to infests the same tree over and over to that tree kind of dies,’ Coyle said. “So, this strongly suggests that it was inadvertently moved by people which is kind of the most concerning part of it.”
The key signs are small holes, sap dripping, and sawdust collecting on the branches or at the base of the tree may show an infestation. Surveyors are asking property owners and businesses cooperate with inspections. Experts said this is an issue that will take years to eradicate.
“More broadly, it could have great impacts on our ecosystem, reduces our canopy in town and reduces the benefits the tree will provide,” said Bernard.
Officials encourage everyone to report infested trees to Clemson or the USDA.
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