27 October 2010 – Rose Hiskes Connecticut’s forests and urban trees are under threat from two exotic beetles:  the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) and the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).  These beetles, from two different families, have boring larvae that kill deciduous trees by their feeding. The ALB was found in Boston, MA in 2010 and Worcester, MA in 2008 and over 27,000 trees have had to be cut down since.  New York City has been fighting an infestation of ALB since 1996.  The EAB is approaching Connecticut from Central Pennsylvania, south of Montreal and Maryland where it has killed millions of ash trees. This presentation will cover identification, the biology and behaviors of these two beetles. The host trees for each beetle will be identified.  We will also cover the process of reporting sightings of either beetle to the proper authorities as they are USDA regulated pests. Rose Hiskes works as a diagnostician and horticulturist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in Windsor and New Haven, CT.  She is currently project coordinator for an Asian Longhorned Beetle Outreach and Survey Program run in conjunction with USDA.  She has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in plant science from the University of Connecticut.  She has worked in the green industry for 20 years.  Some of her horticultural interests are insects, flower gardening and invasive plants.  She volunteers for the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group.