• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School news
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Camp
  • Kids
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Business news
  • Embracing diversity
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Fire & police scanner
  • Worship
  • POPS Senior Profiles
  • Deland, Gibson Insurance Athlete of the Week
  • Raiders sports schedules & results
  • Live gov’t meetings
  • Events
  • About us
  • Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Wellesley visitors: Beach Boys in 2008, Beetles in 2009?

March 27, 2009 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

2009_asianbeetle1_opt

We had the Beach Boys in town last year. Now let’s prep just in case the Beetles invade.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is encouraging residents and business owners to examine trees at home and work for signs of damage caused by the dreaded Asian Longhorned Beetle, and is planning to visit agricultural groups in Wellesley and other communities to educate them about how to identify infestation signs. The invasive insects, ALBs to we in the know, did major damage last year in the Worcester area and resulted in about 19,000 trees being removed. Town officials haven’t received reports of the beetles in Wellesley, but signs of their damage have been seen outside the Worcester area. The adults aren’t expected to emerge until summer, but damage signs can be spotted during the spring.

2009_asianbeetle2_opt

One scary thing about these bugs is that they aren’t too picky about which trees they munch on: a variety of hardwood trees, including maples, elm, ash and birch. State officials next month will train master gardeners at Mass Hort’s facilities how to recognize ALB damage and teach others to do so. The state offers this description of ALB damage signs:

Signs of an infestation include smooth, round, dime-sized holes left by adult beetles exiting a tree, sawdust-like material on the ground around the trunk or on tree limbs, and oozing sap. If an exit hole can be easily reached, try fitting the eraser end of a pencil into the hole. If it does not go in straight at least one inch deep, it is not the beetle. The beetles leave exit holes spread out across a tree. A series of holes together in a line is often caused by woodpeckers or sapsuckers.

It seems like it’s a new bug around here every year. Last year it was the winter moth. Meanwhile, we’ve been revisited by those stinky Western Conifer Seed Bugs this week.

image_print

Filed Under: Outdoors

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisements:

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wonderful Wellesley, Lockheart
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Advertisements

Wellesley Square, Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Beacon Hill Athletic Clubs, Wellesley
Volvo
Prepped and Polished Boston Tutoring and Test Prep
Cheesy Street Grill
Admit Fit, Wellesley
Mature Caregivers
charles river chamber
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Most Read Posts

  • Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)
  • Friday is letters-to-the-editor day on The Swellesley Report
  • UU Wellesley Hills to install & celebrate new minister
  • Wellesley Public Schools news: Last day is official; Advisory won't investigate; Evolutions showcase
  • Taylor Swift Makes a Triumphant Return to Gillette Stadium

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Upcoming Events

May 30
7:00 pm - 8:15 pm

Memorial Day observances in Wellesley

Jun 3
9:00 am - 10:00 am

Hemlock Gorge & Echo Bridge guided walk

Jun 4
8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Schofield 5k, Fun Run and Fun Fair

Jun 4
9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Hazardous Household Waste & Document Destruction Day

Jun 6
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

2023 Wellesley Democratic Town Committee Caucus

View Calendar

Recent Comments

  • Ellen on Wellesley Rec to make pickleball rec to schools, NRC
  • Agility on Wellesley’s Cliff Estates gets its turn with proposed condo development
  • Ken O'Connor on Wellesley Dumps Standards-Based Grading
  • not-a-gardener on An hour in a Wellesley garden—it’s up to us to eradicate the dreaded garlic mustard
  • Mary Bowers on Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend Veterans Parade honorees

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group
Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
  • swellesley reach ad
  • support swellesley
Rick Cram, leader

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login