Forest Service asks sugarmakers to look for beetle

The U.S. Forest Service is asking Northeast maple syrup producers to report signs of the Asian Longhorned Beetle. The insects bore dime-sized holes in hardwood trees, eventually killing them.

The Forest Service says the beetles find maple trees attractive.

The inch-long, black-and-white beetles will not emerge for several months, but their egg sites and exit holes might be visible up in the tree or on the trunk.

The Forest Service says tree branches downed in the December ice storm could also show signs of the beetle.

A major infestation was discovered in Worcester, Mass., in August. Since then, more than 18-thousand infested trees and host trees have been cut down to try to eradicate the beetle.

Signs of the beetle should be reported to the Forest Service.