Chemicals now available to combat beetle invasion

(NECN: Jennifer Eagan, Worcester, Mass.) – The battle against the Asian longhorned beetle rages on in Central Massachusetts. Contrary to earlier advice from the USDA, residents in the beetle quarantine area can now buy over-the-counter chemicals to protect trees from becoming infested by the tree killing bugs. Forestry workers spotted the Asian longhorned beetle buzzing around in these trees along Ararat Street in Worcester last week. It’s one of the first times the insect has been seen this year. The beetle has been dormant inside city trees since last fall, kept inside by the cold weather. The chances the beetle will burrow out of one tree and infest another greatly increases now, according to Clint McFarland of the USDA. That’s part of the reason why the USDA now supports homeowners who want to treat trees on their property with pesticides to prevent infestation. It’s a reversal the USDA’s past policy that said injecting trees with over the counter chemicals wasn’t effective. Reporter Jennifer Eagan has more.