July 8, 2010: Asian longhorn beetles

>> Emily: TONIGHT ON "GREATER

BOSTON" -- THE SEARCH FOR A

DESTROYER.

THE BATTLE PLAN TO SAVE BOSTON

TREES FROM THE ASIAN LONGHORNED

BEETLES.

PLUS, DISCOUNTING PRESCRIPTION

DRUGS.

WHY SOME HEALTH ADVOCATES THINK

IT WILL JUST DRIVE PRICES UP.

AND USING BEESWAX TO CREATE ART.

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GOOD EVENING.

BEETLE MANIA HAS HIT BOSTON, BUT

THIS TIME NOT A BRITISH BUT AN

ASIAN INVASION.

IT COST WORCESTER MORE THAN

25,000 TREES LAST YEAR, SO WHEN

THE INSECT WAS FOUND AROUND THE

HOSPITAL THIS WEEK, A RESPONSE

PLAN WAS LAUNCHED.

THE DAMAGE TO BOSTON'S TREES

WILL BE MINIMAL.

>> WITH THE DISCOVERY LATE LAST

WEEK OF ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLES

ON THE JAMAICA PLAINS FAULKNER

HOSPITAL, A MORE EXTENSIVE

SEARCH IS UNDERWAY.

>> OUR INDIVIDUALS, SCIENTIST,

TREE CLIMBER, HAVE A LOT OF

EXPERIENCE IN LOOKING FOR THIS

TYPE OF INSECT DAMAGE.

>> CLINT McFOR LAND SAYS FEDERAL

AND STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS

ARE DESPERATE TO REMOVE THE

TREES.

IT COULD BE A DEVASTATING INVEST

FACE.

>> AS WE ABUT UP AGAINST THE

NORTHEASTERN FORESTS, THINKING

ABOUT HOW MUCH WE HAVE TO LOSE,

NO, I SHOULDN'T LET IT AFFECT MY

SLEEP BUT IT DOES.

>> THEY WANT TO PREVENT ANOTHER

INCIDENT LIKE TWO YEARS AGO WHEN

THE BEETLES INFESTED WORCESTER

AT A COST OF 50,000 DOLLARS AND

SO FAR McFARLAND IS OPTIMISTIC

THAT IT IS ISOLATED AND UNLIKE

WORCESTER.

>> WE KNEW WE WERE DEALING WITH

A VERY LARGE ISSUE.

>> BUT THE PROBLEM IN WORCESTER

AND OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY,

WITH NO NATURAL PREDATORS IN

THIS COUNTRY, THE BEETLES WREAK

HAVOC.

>> THE ADULT WILL GO DEPOSIT AND

LAY HER EGGS AND THOSE INSECTS,

THE LARVA WILL BORE THROUGH THE

WOOD AND CAUSES A GREAT DEAL OF

PHYSICAL DAMAGE.

>> A CURATOR AT THE ARNOLD

ARBORETUM SAYS THAT THERE ARE

OVER A THOUSAND PLANTS OR TREES

SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE BEETLES HERE.

INCLUDING MAPLE, ELM AND

BIRCHTREES.

HE AND COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN

SEARCHING FOR INFESTATION

SYMPTOMS.

>> YOU KNOW, THESE INSECTS

BURROWING INSIDE THERE, AND AS

THAT WATER SUPPLY IS CUT OFF YOU

WILL START TO SEE THE LEAVES

THAT MAY PREMATURELY DROP DURING

THE SUMMER OR BRANCHS THAT WON'T

BREAK A BUD IN THE SPRING.

>> THE ONLY REMEDY IS REMOVAL OF

INFECTED TREES.

EVEN WORSE IT CAN TAKE SEVERAL

YEARS BEFORE INFESTATION

SYMPTOMS BECOME EVIDENCE.

>> Emily: AND JOINING ME ARE

WORCESTER STATE REPRESENTATIVE

JAMES O'DAY AND SUE STOESSEL OF

THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE.

YOU HAVE A CREEPY SHOW AND TELL

THERE, WHICH I CAN'T HELP BUT

START WITH.

>> I HAVE SAMPLES I GOT FROM THE

AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT OF

RESOURCES AND PROBABLY WERE

COLLECTED FROM WORCESTER.

>> Emily: I'M SHOCKED AT THANK

YOU LARGE THE LARVAE IS.

SO WHEN THEY LAY THE EGGS, HOW

DOES THAT WORK?

>> THEY'RE TINY.

IT'S ADULT BEETLES USUALLY IN

THE SPRING SOME TIME WILL BE

NIBBLING THE BARK OF THE HOST

TREES TO MAKE A LITTLE SHALLOW

DEPRESSION.

THEY LAY THEIR EGGS THERE, THE

FEMALES AND THEN THEY MOVE --

FLY AWAY AND DIE A SHORT TIME

THEREAFTER THE ADULTS.

THEN THE LARVA HATCH OUT WITHIN

TEN DAYS OR SO, AND BEGIN

CHEWING THEIR WAY DOWN OR BORE

IN --

>> Emily: INTO THE HEARTWOOD OF

THE TREE?

AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE UNTIL

THEY'RE FULLY GROWN?

>> WELL, THEY CHEW ALL THE WAY

THROUGH THE FALL AND THE WINTER

AND THEN THE ADULTS WILL CHEW

THEIR WAY OUT IN THE SPRING.

>> Emily: HOW LONG DO THEY LIVE

AFTER THAT?

>> ONCE THEY'RE ADULTS, MOST DIE

A SHORT TIME THEREAFTER.

>> Emily: WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE

THE HORNS FOR?

>> USUALLY SENSING OTHER

BEETLES, PREDATORS, A LITTLE

SENSORY ORGAN.

>> Emily: IT'S HUGE.

MORE THAN AN INCH LONG.

>> AND IT'S A GOOD WAY TO

IDENTIFY THEM.

>> Emily: THEY'RE REALLY BLACK

AND SHINY AND WITH THE WHITE OR

KIND OF BEIGE ECRU SPOTS ON

THEM.

>> YES.

>> Emily: THOSE ARE

CHARACTERISTICS THAT YOU WANT TO

LOOK FOR.

THERE ARE 200 DIFFERENT TYPES OF

LONGHORN BEETLES THAT LOOK

SIMILAR.

I HAVE SEEN ONES THAT LOOK LIKE

THAT THING.

SO TELL ME, REPRESENTATIVE, WHAT

HAPPENED WHEN THIS THING HIT

WORCESTER.

HAD YOU EVER HEARD OF IT, WERE

PEOPLE LOOKING FOR IT?

>> MY BACKGROUND IS AS A SOCIAL

WORKER SO WHEN I GET THE CALL --

>> Emily: THE OTHER KINDS OF

NUISANCES.

>> WHEN I GOT THE CALL TWO YEARS

AGO FROM THE LIEUTENANT

GOVERNOR'S OFFICE THAT WE WERE

HAVING THE EMERGENCY NEWS

CONFERENCE ABOUT THE ASIAN

LONGHORN BEETLE I DIDN'T HAVE A

LOT OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IT.

BUT I QUICKLY LEARNED WHAT A

DEVASTATING INSECT IT IS AND IN

THE HISTORY IT'S HAD HERE IN THE

UNITED STATES DATES BACK TO THE

EARLY '90'S.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND ADDITIONALLY

IN WORCESTER, THAT THEY HAVE

BEEN HERE A LITTLE LONGER THAN

THEY ORIGINALLY HAD ANTICIPATED

THAT THEY HAD BEEN HERE.

BECAUSE OF THE INFESTATION THAT

WE HAD AS CLINT McFAR LAND SAID

ON THE SCRIPT, WHEN THEY LOOKED

AT THE TREES, THEY WERE LOTS OF

TREES WITH LOTS OF BEETLES, SO

THEY WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE THEY

HAD BEEN IN WORCESTER FOR SOME

13 TO 15 YEARS.

>> Emily: WHY WORCESTER?

AND WHY NOW?

>> YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T ONLY LOOK

AT WORCESTER, THEY HAVE BEEN IN

NEW YORK, THEY HAVE BEEN IN NEW

JERSEY AND CHICAGO.

THE GOOD NEWS FOR THOSE CITIES

WAS THAT THEY WERE NOT AS USUAL

BAN -- EXCUSE ME, THEY WERE NOT

AS FORESTED AS WORCESTER IS.

WE HAVE A LOT OF URBAN FORESTS

IN WORCESTER AND THE SURROUNDING

TOWNS.

SO ALTHOUGH THOSE CITIES LOST

LOTS OF TREES, THEY DIDN'T LOSE

AS MANY AS WORCESTER HAD LOST.

THE BEETLES CAME IN FROM ASIA

PROBABLY PRE1990, PRELEGISLATION

AND REGULATION ON HOW -- IN MANY

INSTANCES IT WAS PROBABLY ON

UNTREATED PALLETS, WHERE THEY

CAME INTO THE COUNTRY UNDETECTED

AND PUT ON TRAINS AND SHIPPED

WHEREVER ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

AND WE HAVE MANY MANUFACTURERS

IN THE CITY OF WORCESTER WHERE

THERE'S A SPECIFIC LOCATION THAT

WE THINK WE ARE RIGHT IN THE

EPICENTER IN MY DISTRICT, I

MIGHT ADD, IN THE CITY.

IT'S REALLY BEEN A

DEVASTATING --

>> Emily: I'VE HEARD IT'S WIPED

OUT CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS.

SUE, I HAVE HEARD THE GOOD NEWS

ABOUT THE BEETLES, FIRST,

THEY'RE VERY SLOW MOVING.

AND IT'S EASY TO KILL THEM

BECAUSE ONCE YOU CHOP THE TREE

DOWN, YOU PUT IT THROUGH A WOOD

CHIPPER AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH

IT.

>> THAT'S EXACTLY THE WAY YOU

HAVE TO HANDLE THEM AND THEY'RE

NOT GOOD FLIERS.

THEY DON'T GO VERY FAR FROM THE

TREES.

>> Emily: THEY KIND OF HOP?

>> AND WHAT THEY WOULD DO IS

KIND OF CRAWL AROUND ON THE BARK

AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.

>> Emily: THAT'S HOW THEY BORE

IN.

>> YEAH.

>> Emily: IS THAT A MAPLE?

>> I'M NOT SURE WHAT KIND OF

WOOD THIS IS.

BUT TYPICAL A HOLE BOREHOLE AS

THEY COME OUT, THREE EIGHTHS OF

AN INCH TO HALF AN INCH.

YOU STICK A PENCIL ERASER DOWN

IN THERE, IF IT GOES DOWN

FURTHER THAN AN INCH IT COULD BE

LONGHORN BEETLE.

YOU HAVE LITERALLY HAVE TO TAKE

THE TREES DOWN AND PUT THEM

THROUGH A CHIPPER AND THEY DO IT

TWICE TO MAKE SURE THEY CHIP UP

ANYTHING LIVING INSIDE THE TREE.

THEY DON'T HAVE MANY NATURAL

PREDATORS IN THE WILD.

SO THEY'RE STILL LOOKING INTO

IT.

BUT RIGHT NOW, THAT'S THE BEST

THING TO DO WITH THEM.

>> Emily: IS THERE A WAY -- I

MEAN, ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO

STOP THIS THING?

>> IF IT'S CAUGHT IN ISOLATED

AREAS AND DEALT WITH VERY

AGGRESSIVELY, THAT DOES SEEM TO

WORK WELL.

WE REALLY NEED TO.

WE NEED TO STOP THEM.

>> Emily: WHAT ARE YOU DOING,

REPRESENTATIVE, ABOUT

REPLANTING.

THESE ARE HARDWOOD TREES THAT

ARE INDIGENOUS TO NEW ENGLAND.

DO YOU JUST GIVE UP?

LIKE THE DUTCH ELMS, THOSE ARE

ALL GONE.

>> FRANKLY IN THE CITY OF

WORCESTER, WE HAVE HAD A COUPLE

OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES IN

DEALING WITH THE REPLANTING

ISSUE.

A MAJOR PART IS THROUGH FUNDING

THROUGH THE USDA.

BUT THERE'S ALSO THE WORCESTER

TREE INITIATIVE WHICH HAS BEEN A

PRIVATE/PUBLIC SORT OF GATHERING

OF PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER, AND

RECOGNIZING THIS HUGE PROBLEM

THAT WE'RE FACING AND THE NEED

TO REPLANT THESE TREES THAT ARE

BEING TAKEN DOWN.

YOU KNOW, IN MANY OF OUR OLDER

CITIES, TREES ARE OVER A CERTAIN

AGE AND THEY DO LOSE THEIR LIFE

EXPECTANCY.

WE HAD A TORNADO, LOTS OF TREES

WERE TAKEN DOWN AT THAT TIME AND

WE PLANTED THOUSANDS OF ELM

TREES.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE BEETLE

LIKES, RIGHT?

ELM TREES.

SO NOW WE¶ NEED TO MAKE CERTAIN

THAT WE DON'T DO A SPECIES

SPECIFIC, YOU KNOW, ALL OF A

CERTAIN SPECIES OF TREE IN THE

NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE WE COULD

COME UP AGAINST SOME OTHER

INVASIVE SPECIES THAT WOULD WIPE

OUT THOSE TREES.

SO WE DO HAVE I THINK A

TWO-PRONGED APPROACH IN DEALING

WITH THAT.

BUT THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES THAT

GO ALONG WITH THAT.

SO NOW AS WE CAN THINK ABOUT

TREES IN AN AREA, THEY GROW UP

BETWEEN THE POWER LINES.

SO NOW THAT'S A BIG ISSUE, WE'RE

GOING TO PUT HEALTHY TREES --

ARE WE GOING TO PUT HEALTHY

TREES UNDER THE POWER LINES, OR

AS THEY GROW THEY HAVE TO SPLIT

OFF.

SO THAT'S UPSET A LOT OF FOLKS

IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT THE

EDICT IS GOING TO BE TO DEAL

WITH THAT.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE SHADE TREES

AND FOLKS HAVE BEEN ACCUSTOMED

TO SHADE TREES IN THEIR

NEIGHBORHOODS ARE BEING OVER THE

LOST WEEK, ALL THESE TREES --

THERE'S NO BEAUTIFUL SHADE

TREES.

>> Emily: LET ME ASK YOU, SUE,

WHAT ABOUT IN ASIA?

I MEAN, AREN'T THEY DESTROYING

THEIR TREES TOO?

>> THEY ARE.

THEY'RE A MAJOR PEST OF HARDWOOD

TREES IN ASIA.

>> Emily: WHAT DO THEY DO ABOUT

IT?

>> NOT MUCH YOU CAN DO ABOUT

ASIDE FROM THE STRICT MEASURES

WE TAKE.

IT'S PRETTY ENDEMIC THERE, SO

IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO

CONTROL.

THEY DO TRY TO SPRAY.

SOME HAVE LIMITED ABILITY TO

HELP WITH THE SITUATIONS.

BIRDS DON'T SEEM WHO LIKE THEM

VERY MUCH.

>> Emily: THE SHELLS SEEM TOO

HARD.

>> BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT THE

SMALL TROUBLE FOR THESE BEETLES.

FOR EXAMPLE, MITES THAT MIGHT BE

PARASIIZING THEM.

WE'RE LOOKING TINY, RATHER THAN

NUCLEAR.

>> YOU TALK ABOUT HOW DO YOU

KILL THEM?

THE PROBLEM IS THERE ARE SOME

PESTICIDES, INSECTICIDES THAT

YOU CAN USE.

THAT DOESN'T KILL THEM, BUT IT

TURNS THEM OFF FROM GOING TO

ANOTHER HOST TREE.

SO WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO?

YOU CUT THE TREES DOWN.

YOU START IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD --

YOU SAW IN WORCESTER, 25,000

TREES CAME DOWN.

THAT'S A HORRIBLE OPTION.

SO WE REALLY NEED TO TRY TOO --

TO FIND SOMETHING, NOT SOIL

DRENCH THEM BECAUSE THAT BECOMES

AN ISSUE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

SO IT'S -- IT'S A REAL TOUGH

CHALLENGE.

>> Emily: GOOD LUCK TO YOU FOR

FIGURING THAT OUT.

REPRESENTATIVE JAMES O'DAY AND

SUE STOESSEL FROM THE MUSEUM OF

SCIENCE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

WHEN WE CONTINUE, SHOULD DRUG

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