Successful Eradication of the Asian Longhorn Beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, from North-Eastern Italy: Protocol, Techniques and Results

Simple Summary Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an extremely polyphagus Asian wood-boring beetle accidentally introduced into North America and Europe. In 2009, an infestation was found in the municipality of Cornuda (Veneto Region, Italy). In order to eradicate the pest, several actions were immediately undertaken in the delimitated infested and buffer zones: tree visual inspections twice a year, felling and chipping of infested and suspected trees, trapping protocols, mitigation plans based on substitution of felled trees with new plants, and citizen alerts. The program lasted 11 years, after which the species was declared eradicated from the region. During the eradication program more than 36,000 trees were surveyed and more than 2000 trees were felled. Trees most affected by the pest were birches, elms, maples, and willows. This paper describes all the actions undertaken during the eradication program, providing a protocol that can also be used for future eradications of the species. The Asian Longhorn Beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is an important and extremely polyphagous wood-boring beetle native to Asia. In the 1990s, ALB was accidentally introduced into North America and Europe. In 2009, a large ALB infestation was found in the Veneto Region (north-eastern Italy), in the municipality of Cornuda (Treviso province). Eradication actions were immediately undertaken, based on delimitation of infested and buffer zones, tree visual inspections, felling and chipping of infested trees, trapping protocols, and citizen alerts. A total of 36,361 trees, belonging to 16 genera, were surveyed twice a year over an area of 7594 hectares. In 2020, after 11 years of eradication measures, the ALB population of Cornuda was declared eradicated. Overall, 2361 trees belonging to 8 genera were felled and destroyed, of which 1157 were found to be infested by ALB. This paper describes all the actions carried out and the procedures applied in order to eradicate ALB from north-eastern Italy, providing a useful example for current and future ALB eradication programs.

Automated summary

The paper details the eradication program of the Asian Longhorn Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) in Cornuda, Italy, including tree inspections, felling, trapping, and citizen alerts. After 11 years of efforts, the ALB population was successfully eradicated.