By ULA ILNYTZKY Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP)--Tree
experts believe they've found a new weapon against the voracious
Asian long-horned beetle--a poison that's fatal to bugs when eaten.
Until now,
the only way to fight the spread of the insect has been to cut
down infested trees.
``This is
very important news. This is a new substance to make war against
the beetle,'' New York City Parks Commissioner Henry Stern said
Tuesday. ``We're calling it beetle juice.''
The insect
has destroyed 3,000 trees in New York City. Believed to have migrated
in wooded crates from China, the beetles were first discovered
in Brooklyn in 1996.
Stern said
the insecticide--imidacloprid--was tested in Chicago, the only
other city with a known infestation.
From April
to June, the city and state parks departments and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture will treat 8,200 trees in the city, about 4,000
trees on Long Island and thousands of trees throughout the state.
Canisters
containing the insecticide, which is also used in flea powders
and lawn treatments, will be inserted in holes in trees. The poison
spreads through the trunk, branches and leaves, killing beetles
that ingest it.
The beetles,
usually between an inch or two long, are coal black with white
spots and long antennae.
Females chew
through bark to lay their eggs. When the larvae hatch, they feed
inside the tree for more than a year. Eventually they tunnel out,
boring holes in the trunks. Trees weaken and eventually die.
Stern said
about half of New York City's 5 million trees are vulnerable to
the beetles, which attack hardwoods such as maples, elms, birches,
horse chestnuts and poplars.
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