Asian and citrus longhorn beetles : Observatree guides

The Asian longhorn beetle (ALB, Anoplophora glabripennis) and the citrus longhorn beetle (CLB, Anoplophora chinensis) are native to eastern Asia, and pose a serious threat to a range of our native, naturalised and introduced broadleaved trees, including many species grown as ornamentals. The climate in much of the UK is conducive to establishment and spread of these pests whose main pathway of entry is in wood packaging materials (ALB) and via the live plant trade (CLB). The larvae of the beetles feed and tunnel under the bark in the wood of both healthy and stressed trees causing extensive damage and ultimately mortality to the infested hosts after several successive years of attack.