The infestation in the Chicago area is the second infestation in the United States. The first was during 1996 in Brooklyn, New York. The emergence of adult Asian longhorned beetles in New York City in June prompted Chicago officials to go on red alert seeking local signs of the tree-killing beetles, but there were only a few new Chicago sightings last summer and fall. In September, beetles were sighted on the Northwest Side at Higgins Road and the DesPlaines River, at a spot near forest preserves, and a larva was found in a tree in Lincoln Park. In December 2000, investigators found near O'Hare Airport a grove of box elders that they believe is one of the earliest sites where the insect attacked.
Inspectors continue to search for signs of other infestations.
Altogether, over 1,400 larva-containing trees were removed and destroyed, according to the City of Chicago. The Asian longhorned beetle, native to Japan, China and North Korea, traveled to this country burrowed in raw wood used in shipping and packing materials. Once in the United States and cities like Chicago, the beetles normally stay close to their host trees, although the adults can fly up to 3,000 feet. Humans provide the easiest modes of transportation for the beetles. The beetle can hitch a ride on vehicles moving through infested areas or be spread in infected firewood or tree litter.