Mother Nature produces its own set of “look-a-like” species that can fool people who are otherwise unsuspecting. For example, two insects that have been confused for one another are different species of beetles that attack trees. These “look-a-likes” are the native white-spotted pine sawyer and the invasive Asian longhorned beetle.
Male and female Asian longhorned beetle compared to male and female whitespotted pine sawyer. Photo source: http://www.uvm.edu/albeetle/identification/index.html
At a glance, the white-spotted pine sawyer and Asian longhorned beetle do look similar – particularly because of their large size, dark coloring and long antennae. But upon close inspection, there are differences. The body of the white-spotted pine sawyer beetle is browner in color, and the segments of its antennae are uniform in color and appearance. Also, the white-spotted pine sawyer has a distinctive white “dot” or spot between its head and at the top of its wing covers. This beetle only attacks dead or dying trees, including pines, spruces and other conifers, and poses no real harm to our Michigan forests. In comparison, the Asian longhorned beetle is a black-bodied beetle, and the segments of its antennae are black and white in appearance.
To date, the Asian longhorned beetle is not known to be present in Michigan but is on a “High Priority –Not Welcome Here” watch list by Michigan regulatory agencies because of its ability to kill host trees. The threat to Michigan posed by this invasive beetle is extremely severe and could possibly be more devastating than the emerald ash borer. This is because one of preferred hosts of the Asian longhorned beetle is sugar maple – which happens to be a very common tree species across Michigan. Therefore, this is one insect that is definitely NOT welcome in Michigan.
By Michigan State University Extension
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Hundreds of thousand trees have been successfully treated.
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