Infesting red maple trees with the invasive Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) to examine oviposition, fecundity, and survival

Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) (ALB) is an invasive, wood boring beetle native to China and the Korean Peninsula. There are several invasive populations of ALB in North America, with the South Carolina population being the most southern and most recent. In South Carolina, ALB mainly infests red maple (Acer rubrum) which is a valuable landscaping and riparian tree species. Current ALB eradication efforts involve removing infested and at-risk host trees which are primarily found by survey crews. Recent ALB infestations are mainly indicated by oviposition sites which are used by the USDA-APHIS to classify infestation intensity when surveying. However, the presence of oviposition sites does not directly translate to the presence of eggs and survival of ALB larvae. To examine the oviposition and early survival of ALB within host trees, we simulated ALB infestation on live, 3-inch-caliper red maple trees within the South Carolina quarantine area. We enclosed a mated male and female within metal cages on each tree stem and were provided maple twigs for feeding. We monitored each tree daily for oviposition and marked new sites with the corresponding date. Four weeks following the loss of the female beetle, we destructively harvested each tree and dissected each oviposition site to determine ALB fecundity and early larval survival. These results support eradication efforts by improving our understanding of ALB biology and infestation.