Alien invader busts out of Worcester
By adamg - Mon, 09/29/2008 - 6:53pm.
Asian Longhorned Beetles on the march eastward; how long before they breach 495 and then 128?
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What does 'quarantine' mean in this context?
The post describes a 'quarantine zone' but doesn't explain what that is.
One would imagine they are
One would imagine they are going to put a dome over that area and wait until all the beetles are dead.
Has to do with trees and bugs
This USDA document explains it a bit: Basically, if you find an infested tree or wood, you're not allowed to do anything to it but have to inform the feds or the state. And they will not do much of anything until after the first frost, when they will pretty much cut down and destroy every single infested tree. I guess the idea is that the frost kills the adults, whereas if you move a tree or branch or whatever, you could be helping the bugs find new areas to colonize (the bugs first showed up in Brooklyn in wooden pallets from Asia).
You're also not allowed to plant any trees the bug likes in the quarantine area (unfortunately for New England, it seems to really enjoy maples).
Firewood too
The quarantine zone also means no moving the beetles themselves, and includes all firewood, whether it is wood from a species of tree that the beetle attacks or not.
And technically, the beetles are not "marching eastward" it is just taking time for the people surveying to figure out the boundaries of the infestation. If you look at the history of the older infestations in NY and NJ etc. you will see they underwent several adjustments in quarantine zones as well. It's not like they are flying eastward all at once! One beetle is not likely to move on its own very far from where it comes out of the tree.