| 4 weeks 2 days 18 hours ago Experts believe Worcester beetle will be big problem
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(Danica Pecirep, NECN: Worcester, MA) - The Asian long-horned beetle has swooped into Worcester and poses a potential risk. It has been found in some trees, and there's a move to get rid of it before is does significant damage.
The beetle is a foreign bug that infests hardwood trees especially maples. Now state and federal officials are trying to gage the scoop of the infestation.
Right now...officials are searching for signs of the beetle in the Greendale section of the city....but it could be much more widespread.
Experts say the discovery of the Asian long horned beetle in Worcester could be a big problem for the city.
"The Asian long horn beetle is a very negative thing- it will kill trees- we've gotta take trees out to prevent it from spreading." Mike Bohne is with the USDA forest service in New Hampshire. Thursday he came to Worcester to see how bad the infestation is.
The news also brought top entomologists to the area - like Richard Hobeck of Cornell University- he's been studying Asian long horned beetles since they were first discovered in the U.S. in Brooklyn, New York 12 years ago.
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