beetle

Topic 39: China Denies Bug-Carrying Cargo Case

By Tong Li

What: Asian long-horned beetle, one of the most destructive plant pests, was found in Chicago.
When: Start from July 9, 1998
Where: Chicago
Who: Asian long-horned beetle is 1 1/4" long, coal black with irregular white spots on its back. It has 2" long black antennae with white rings. The females chew oval, darkened notches in the bark of trees, into which they deposit their eggs. After the eggs hatch, the larvae bore into the tree, feeding on the wood. The larvae may feed on the heartwood of the tree all winter. The beetle can attack and eventually kill healthy mature hardwoods due to heavy larval feeding in the heartwood, which inhibits the tree's vascular system. It prefers maples and horse chestnut.

Summary:

The first US beetle discovery was in the New York City area in 1996. The Chicago discovery occurred in 1998 in three separate areas.

The beetle found in Chicago is thought to have entered this country in wooden packing boxes or packing material via import of Chinese goods. Such an importer is within Chicago's infested area. The beetle is also native to Japan and Korea.The beetles are impervious to pesticides simply because they burrow so deep into the trees that chemicals cannot reach them. The treatment usually applied to eradicate the beetle is to cut down the trees, then chip and burn them.
Since December 1998, the United States began requiring that all wood crates and pallets shipped from China be heat-treated and certified.

Chicago Infestations and Quarantines

Time-Line:

Jul. 9, 1998 The beetle was first discovered on the southwest side of Chicago in the Summit-Bedford Park area.

Oct. 6, 1998 United States Department of Argriculture (USDA) impose new regulations that all shipments containing solid wood packing from China will have to be heat-treated or fumigated and accompanied by certification that such a process was performed.

Oct. 16, 1998 PHIS hosted three public hearings to provide interested persons a full
opportunity to present their views regarding the interim rule. They were held in Washington, DC, Seattle, WA, and Los Angeles, CA.

Dec. 17, 1998 China's foreign trade minister Shi Guangsheng co-hosted a session of the China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade with U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley in Washington. The meeting coincided with a U.S. ban on all Chinese exports packed with solid-wood crates and pallets. The ban is part of an effort to stem an infestation of a tree-killing beetle from China known as the Asian long-horned beetle.

Dec. 17, 1998 The new rules were effective.

Useful Links:

Asian Long-Horned Beetle Illinois Infestation Time-Line.
Asian Long-Horned Beetle Maps
Transcript: USDA Offical 9/10 on Asian Long-Horned Beetle

tongli@ldc.upenn.edu
July 17, 2000

Jul. 9, 1998	The beetle was first discovered on the southwest side of Chicago in the Summit-Bedford Park area.
Oct. 6, 1998	United States Department of Argriculture (USDA) impose new regulations that all shipments containing solid wood packing from China will have to be heat-treated or fumigated and accompanied by certification that such a process was performed.
Oct. 16, 1998	PHIS hosted three public hearings to provide interested persons a full opportunity to present their views regarding the interim rule. They were held in Washington, DC, Seattle, WA, and Los Angeles, CA.
Dec. 17, 1998	China's foreign trade minister Shi Guangsheng co-hosted a session of the China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade with U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley in Washington. The meeting coincided with a U.S. ban on all Chinese exports packed with solid-wood crates and pallets. The ban is part of an effort to stem an infestation of a tree-killing beetle from China known as the Asian long-horned beetle.
Dec. 17, 1998	The new rules were effective.