ODA expands invasive Asian longhorn beetle quarantine into East Fork Wildlife Area

Dime-sized holes, pockmarks, and wood shavings: all signs that the invasive Asian longhorn beetle is burrowing its way through Clermont County.

Despite aggressive efforts to eradicate the beetle, or at the very least halt its progress, the Ohio Department of Agriculture on Monday expanded the quarantine area to include 62 square miles, an increase of one square mile.

The quarantine expansion includes 576-acres in parts of the East Fork Wildlife Area, according to Public Information Officer Brett Gates of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Batavia, Williamsburg and Tate Townships are also included in the quarantine. The ALB was first discovered in Tate Township in 2011 before spreading throughout the state.

Removal of firewood, branches and other wood is prohibited in these areas to prevent the spread of ALB or their larvae, Gates said.

Although ALB prefer maple trees, they can inhabit a variety of species, making them harder to eliminate than more selective insects.

"This is something that we definitely have been very serious about trying to eradicate," Gates said.

While the ALB is sometimes compared to the emerald ash borer, which has devastated ash tree populations in the Central and Eastern United States, Gates said ALB infestations have been successfully eradicated in Chicago, New York and New Jersey.

Infestations are addressed primarily through the removal of host trees. This can result in the stripping of large woodland areas, as in the case of one Clermont County man who lost 700 trees on his 85-acre property in 2012.

Gates said property owners are encouraged to report infested trees as well as pest sightings to the ODA's Bethel office at 513-381-7180.

The ALB, which are active during the summer months, are shiny black insects ranging 1 to 1.5 inches in size with white spots and long antennae.