InsectsInvade

INSIDE: Bug Benefits

Insects on the Move Meet the Troublemakers

You Can Make a Difference

WANTED

Program Aid 2148a January 2014

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Forests are important ecosystems.

Above: Emerald Ash Borer, page 8

This Insects Invade magazine was developed in conjunction with Scholastic Inc., and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.

Above: Gypsy Moth, page 9

CONTENTSBug Benefi tsPage 3

Insects on the Move Page 4

In Trouble: Forests and Their TreesPage 5

On the Trail of an Invasion!Pages 6 and 7

Meet the Troublemakers Pages 8 and 9

> Emerald Ash Borer > Asian Long-Horned Beetle> Gypsy Moth> Redbay Ambrosia Beetle

Questions and Answers: On the Front Lines Page 10

You Can Make a DifferencePage 11

Insect Hunt Quiz! Back Cover

WELCOME But many U.S. forests—which cover more than one-third of our country’s land area—are under attack. When insects from faraway places arrive in forests that are new to them, they can damage and kill trees. That harms the other plants, animals, and people that depend on the trees. Millions of dollars are spent every year to try to save the trees and prevent the spread of insects. Luckily, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service is battling these six-legged invaders. For more than 100 years, the Forest Service has helped to take care of public land in our country’s forests. In these pages, you’ll read about the dangers of insect invaders. You’ll also learn how the Forest Service—and kids like you—can fi ght back against these troublesome insects.

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An ecosystem is a community of plants, animals, and microorganisms together with their environment.

Did You Know?

Front cover photos, left to right: © DC

NR—

Forestry Archive/Bugw

ood.org; © M

ichael C. Thom

as, Florida Department of A

griculture and Consum

er Services/Bugwood.org; ©

David Mohn, C

ritters Page/Bugwood.org.

Photos, this page: emerald ash borer on penny, ©

How

ard Russell, Michigan State U

niv/Bugwood.org; forest, ©

iStockphoto/Thinkstock; gypsy moth, ©

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1. Bees pollinate plants, allowing fruits and vegetables to grow. Their ability to see ultraviolet light helps them fi nd the center of fl owers quickly.

2. Hawkmoths help to pollinate plants. They can hover in midair like a hummingbird while they feed on nectar. Some of these moths have tongues that are longer than their bodies!

3. Ladybugs have big appetites. The polka-dotted predators eat many insects, including aphids. Aphids can damage garden vegetables and other plants.

4. Insects are an important part of the food chain. Animals such as frogs, fi sh, lizards, bats, birds, skunks, and raccoons all will make a meal of insects.

Bugs are just one kind of insect. Beetles, moths, butterfl ies, and bees are some other types of insect. Insects may be crawly, but they’re not always creepy! They play many important roles in the habitats (natural environments) where they live. They help out people in many ways, too.

BUGBenefi ts

Can you think of other ways that insects are helpful?

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Did You Know?

FOOD PRODUCTS

FIREWOOD

TRAVEL

LIVEPLANTS

There’s no such thing as bad insects. But when they move from their native ecosystem into a new one, insects can create big problems. Nonnative plants and animals that harm their new ecosystems are called invasive species.

Insects from faraway places like Africa and Asia sometimes make their way into the United States. But, invasive insects don’t always come from distant lands. Insects from the Southern United States can become troublemakers if they move into new habitats in the Northern United States, for example. And native insects that are helpful in the United States can cause problems elsewhere when they invade other places.

Many invasive species arrive in their new habitats by mistake. These days, people travel around the world easily. We also ship food, wood products, live plants, and many other goods from country to country. Insects can accidentally hitchhike on those trips.

What makes invasive insects harmful? In their native homes, they had to watch out for natural predators and native diseases, which kept their numbers low. In their new habitats, however, they face fewer threats, so they can become widespread and damage large areas of forests.

Invasive insects can also compete with native species for food and space. When these things happen, little insects can lead to big trouble.

Invasive insects can arrive by boat in shipments from overseas.

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Invasive species arrive to their new homes in unexpected ways. INSECTS ON THE MOVE

IN TROUBLE: FORESTS AND THEIR TREES

Forests are fi lled with trees that clean our water and air and provide shelter for many plants and animals. Trees help protect the soil from water runoff after a storm, too. They also offer wild spaces where people can play and explore. Unfortunately, invasive insects spell trouble for these important plants.

In forests, invasive insects may chew up leaves, suck sap, or tunnel deep into tree trunks to lay eggs. Over time, that damage can kill even the tallest trees. When enough trees are damaged or killed by insects, the whole forest is at greater risk of wildfi res. To care for our valuable forests, we must protect them from invasive pests.

Federal offi cer preparing a vegetable shipment for inspection.

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9

HOME TURF: Europe

PRIZE: Old-Timer Award

THE SCOOP: People brought gypsy moths to Massachusetts—on purpose—in the mid-1800s. They hoped the moths could make silk. Big mistake. The moths escaped and started eating all the leaves in their path. Over the last 135 years or so, the moths have spread north, south, and west, munching the leaves of countless trees. The bad news: Gypsy moths can cause a lot of damage in the fi rst 10 to 20 years after they show up in a new place. The good news: After 20 years or so, forests usually recover from gypsy moth invasions.

HOME TURF: Asia

ALIAS: Starry Sky Beetle

PRIZE: Longest Antenna Award (It’s longer than the insect’s body!)

THE SCOOP: This speckled insect may resemble a night sky—but you wouldn’t want to wish on this star. The black-and-white beetle was fi rst discovered in the United States in 1996. So far, the menace has been spotted in Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. Many other States are also at risk. New England States are worried the beetles could harm maple syrup production. That’s because the insect burrows into hardwood trees such as maples, eventually killing them. A single beetle can lay as many as 161 eggs in its lifetime.

HOME TURF: Asia

PRIZE: Secret Weapon Award

THE SCOOP: This tiny beetle is smaller than a grain of rice. But, the redbay ambrosia beetle carries a secret weapon: fungus. The tiny black beetles bore into trees in the laurel family to lay their eggs, bringing fungus with them. When the baby beetles hatch from their eggs, they feast on that fungus. Unfortunately for the tree, the fungus causes laurel wilt, a deadly tree disease. Redbay ambrosia beetles were fi rst spotted in the United States in Georgia in 2002. Since then, they’ve spread to Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina. They may be hard to stop. A single fungus-toting beetle can infect and kill an entire tree.

MEET THE TROUBLEMAKERS There are many species of invasive insects, but four of them are causing the most trouble right now.

HOME TURF: Asia

PRIZE: Best Dressed Award

THE SCOOP: This glittery green insect really does sparkle like a gem. But beneath the glitter is a dark side. The beetles are threatening North American ash trees. The beetles’ larvae (children) tunnel under tree bark, causing damage that kills the tree. The emerald ash borer has already destroyed tens of millions of ash trees. One reason that is a problem? Because people use ash trees to make baseball bats! The ash borer arrived in the United States in 2002. Since then, it has spread to more than a dozen States—from the Midwest to the East, and to the South. The small, hard-to-spot beetle often spreads when people carry fi rewood from place to place.

Damage from the emerald ash borer.

Emerald Ash Borer Asian Long-Horned Beetle Gypsy Moth Redbay Ambrosia Beetle

Photos: damaged tree, ©

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1110

Bark DamageInsect Eggs

Damaged Leaves Damaged Treetops

What do you do?I study insects that attack forests. I fi gure out what natural chemicals the insects use to fi nd each other and the trees they eat. We can use those chemicals to lure the insects into traps or to protect trees.

What insects are you battling?One critter I’m working on now is the goldspotted oak borer. It feeds on phloem, tree tissue that lies beneath the bark. Phloem is like ice cream to these beetles. The insect was originally from southern Arizona. But, it was accidentally introduced near San Diego, California, where there are more vulnerable species of oak. We think the beetle was moved to California inside fi rewood. The beetle has killed about 25,000 trees so far.

How do people like you in the Forest Service protect forests from invasive insects?Sometimes we remove trees so that the forests are healthier overall. Then, if the insects arrive, the trees have a fi ghting chance. We also look for invasive species that have just arrived at ports or urban parks, before they have a chance to spread. If we can fi nd them early, maybe we can wipe them out before they invade our forests.

Invasive species can be found in any habitat—rivers, ponds, forests, farms, mountaintops, even in houses and big cities.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: ON THE FRONT LINES

Did You Know?

What’s it like to battle invasive insects fi rsthand? We asked Steve Seybold, a Forest Service research entomologist (a scientist who studies insects).

ANSWERS FOR QUIZ 1. Asian Long-Horned Beetle (nickname: Starry Sky Beetle)2. Hawkmoth3. Any three of these: frogs, fi sh, lizards, bats, birds, skunks, raccoons, and other insects.4. All countries should be circled; invasive species can come from anywhere!5. Massachusetts6. Ladybug7. Baseball bats

Above, top: Funnel trap baited to fi ght the redbay ambrosia beetle. Above, bottom: Strings of sawdust are a telltale sign of the beetle.

Right: Gypsy moth traps being checked for signs of the insect.

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off-road vehicles, boats, and other equipment. These might be carrying invasive stowaways.

➜ Don’t release exotic pets or garden plants into the wild. Just like insects, these species can become invasive in a new habitat.

➜ Make sure you buy local fi rewood. Logs from other areas can hide bugs like the emerald ash borer or goldspotted oak borer.

➜ Teach your friends and family!

You Can Make A Difference

➜ Learn as much as you can about the invasive insects in your area. Check trees, gardens, and yards near your home. If you spot signs of an invasive insect, report it.

➜ Before you leave forests, clean your hiking boots,

Here are some ways you can help in the fi ght against invasive species:

To learn more, visitinvasivespeciesinfo.gov.

Photos: funnel trap, © A

lbert “Bud” Mayfi eld, U

SDA

Forest Service/Bugwood.org; strings of saw

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To fi le a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Offi ce of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6316 (in Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Photos, clockwise from

top: magnifying glass, ©

iStockphoto/Thinkstock; redbay ambrosia beetle, ©

Michael C

. Thomas, FD

ASC

/Bugwood.org; gypsy m

oth caterpillar, iStockphoto/Thinkstock; gypsy m

oth, © D

avid Mohn, C

ritters Page/Bugwood.org; em

erald ash borer, © D

CN

R—Forestry A

rchive/Bugwood.org.

1. This invasive insect’s pretty nickname makes it sound like a constellation. Find its name and nickname.

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INSECT HUNT QUIZ!INSECT

16 USC 580p-4

Care for the Land

Lend a Hand–

2. Unscramble the letters to fi nd the name of an insect that helps to pollinate plants.

A M W T O K H H

3. Name three animals mentioned in this magazine that like to dine on insects.

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4. Circle the countries where invasive species might come from:

United States Australia Japan France South Africa

5. Gypsy moths fi rst showed up in the United States in what State in the mid-1800s?

_______________________________

6. Which insect listed below is a predator of other insects? Circle your answer.

Aphid Ladybug Emerald Ash Borer Goldspotted Oak Borer

7. What type of sports equipment is at risk from the emerald ash borer? Unscramble the letters to fi nd out.

S B E L A A B L S A T B

(See page 11 for answers.)