Release No. 0104.08

• Contact:
  Suzanne Bond, USDA APHIS (301) 734-5175
  Judy Antipin, USDA FS (610) 557-4183
  Matt Smith, Chicago Dept. of Streets Sanitation (312) 744-6430
  Jeff Squibb, Illinois Department of Agriculture (217) 558-1546

• Illinois is First State to Reach Eradication of the Invasive Pest

• CHICAGO, April 17, 2008 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the City of Chicago today announced the official eradication of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) from Illinois.

• ALB was discovered in Illinois in the summer of 1998, and the most recent infestation was detected around Chicago’s Oz Park in 2003. Since that time, extensive surveys have not found adult ALB or any signs of infestation. With at least four years of active surveys and no signs of insects or infestation uncovered, USDA and its partners now can declare ALB eradication in Illinois.

• The ALB is about 1.5 inches long and shiny black with antenna up to twice the length of their bodies, banded in black and white. Host tree species that beetles favor include maple, birch, elm and poplar, among others.

  USDA currently is working with its state and local government partners to eradicate ALB in parts of New York and in central New Jersey. Additional information about ALB can be found at www.aphis.usda.gov .