History and development of an isolated outbreak ofAsian longhorn beetleAnoplophora glabripennis(Coleoptera:Cerambycidae) in southernEngland

Abstract

1 Asian longhorn beetle Anoplophora glabripennis is a major international quarantine pest that is capable of killing a wide range of broadleaved trees. In 2012, an outbreak of A. glabripennis was discovered at Paddock Wood in southern England, which prompted an eradication programme and research to determine when the population had established, as well as how quickly it was spreading. 2 Tree ring analysis of infested stems and branches showed that the first A. glabripennis adult emerged in 2003 and that the beetle had been present for approximately 10 years before it was discovered. However, the population had increased relatively slowly and, even though it could be shown that some beetles travelled 96-203 m to lay eggs in new trees, the population as a whole had not spread further than 234 m. 3 Survival rates of larvae were similar to rates observed in other A. glabripennis populations, although failure at the egg-laying stage and adult mortality at or before emergence were higher than recorded elsewhere. 4 A combination of factors appears to have allowed A. glabripennis to establish at Paddock Wood: the presence of a highly susceptible host (sycamore), multiple introductions of adult beetles over several years, and a run of warmer than average summers at the time of the initial colonization.

Description of an establishment event by the invasive Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) in a suburban landscape in the northeastern United States

“…To accommodate this knowledge gap, the potential patterns of beetle distribution were inferred based on two sets of assumptions. Under the strict assumptions of dispersal, it was assumed that the beetle would be reluctant to disperse from trees with low levels of infestation, a pattern consistent with that observed by both Turgeon et al [26] and Straw et al [27]. This set of assumptions, by the nature of the distribution of the infested trees, means that while fewer beetles disperse, the dispersal events that do occur are longer.…”

“…Recent studies by Turgeon et al [26] and Straw et al [27] have provided reconstructions of the spread of the Asian longhorned beetle within infested stands, and these data have also suggested beetles may remain on the natal tree, leading to high beetle density in focal trees within an isolated infestation. However, the data from the Worcester, MA stand seems to indicate that this may not be a rule in Asian longhorned beetle population dynamics.…”

“…This typically leaves little time to carry out intensive surveys and sampling to study infested landscapes in the early stages of establishment. As a result of these limits, past studies on beetle establishment and dispersal have either used mark-recapture methods in the beetles’ native range [ 22 , 23 ], statistical and graphical inference [ 24 , 25 ], or intensive reconstructions of beetle behavior based on damage within individual trees [ 26 , 27 ] in localized populations to identify patterns of beetle movement and dispersal.…”

“…Two studies have sought to fill this stand-scale knowledge gap [ 26 , 27 ]. These studies have taken advantage dendrochronological methods to date the damage caused by ovipositing females and emerging adults within a stand.…”

Spotting the pests of tomorrow—Sampling designs for detection of species associations with woody plants

“…Other species may take longer, for example in the case of species with strong population fluctuations. The non-native Asian longhorn beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) was estimated to be present in E8ngland at least 10 years before it was recorded (Straw, Fielding, Tilbury, Williams, & Cull, 2016). Similarly, it can be several years before non-native pathogens are recorded, such as in the case of the ash dieback fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, which was probably present in England for at least 8 years before it caused a level of symptoms high enough to facilitate detection (Wylder, Biddle, King, Baden, & Webber, 2018).…”