Timeline of detections of the Asian longhorned beetle (IMAGE)
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First detections of many significant invasive insects have been made by members of the public. In the case of the first-ever observation of Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) in the United States, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, noticed unusual damage on maple trees in his neighborhood in 1996. He then caught an adult beetle, which he reported and provided to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Since then, 12 additional infestations of the invasive forest pest have been found in North America, and a member of the public was the first detector in two-thirds of those cases. Public observations have also initiated discoveries in recent years of the elm zigzag sawfly, spotted lanternfly, boxtree moth, northern giant hornet, yellow-legged hornet, emerald ash borer, and Jorō spider.
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Amanda Roe, Leigh Greenwood, and David Coyle/Environmental Entomology
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