Hole in the Ace

The Bureau County Republican is reporting that APHIS inspectors called to an Ace Hardware warehouse in Princeton, Illinois may have found a nasty early Christmas present. Following a complaint from a customer in Michigan, who found a beetle in the wooden trunk of a recently purchased artificial Christmas tree, the Michigan Department of Agriculture contacted APHIS officials. The team dispatched to the Ace warehouse discovered what they think is a Japanese cedar longhorned beetle (Callidiellum rufipenne). Identification is still being confirmed, but if this is a foreign critter, expect a national recall along the lines of last year's potpourri fiasco.

Rodentia

Interesting article from the Anchorage Daily News about the preventative measures undertaken on the islands of St. Paul and St. George to keep Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from invading. The threat of introduction is fairly constant given the number of boats and ships that pass by on their way to and from Alaska. A key worry is that ships will accidentally run aground or be shipwrecked in the area.

NEANS Media and Node

There are three excellent* new web resources available for those of you in Northeast North America that are concerned about aquatic and wetland invasive species. The Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species Panel (NEANS) recently debuted a page with links to the many different priority nuisance species lists for the region, as well as a page listing control technologies for a select list of those species. Finally, there is now a web version of a research poster presented last year, comparing invasive plant species lists among the New England states.

* I designed these pages, so take the word "excellent" as you will :-).

Win One for the Chipper

Residents of Long Island City, New York now have a new way to protect the state against the spread of the wood-boring Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis). As reported by the Queens Chronicle, the city's Parks Department is offering free chipping and disposal services for tree prunings, firewood and other primary woody materials. The article has information about how to arrange for the wood shredding services by phone or online.

In a related story, the city of Vaughan, Ontario is giving away free mulch this Saturday to help protect local trees. The mulching program was developed to increase communication between the government and city residents affected by Asian longhorned beetle infestations.

It's heeeeeeeeeeeerrre!

Back in August of 2003, the ISW posted a story about U.S. concern about the spread of soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi, P. meibomiae) in Brazil. Now comes news from the USDA that the fungus was discovered last week at a Louisiana State University research farm. A USDA soybean rust detection assessment team is on the scene to, well, assess the situation. Bonus points to the USDA for using the rust's scientific name in the press release.

Thanks to a member of the ALIENS-L listserver for posting this story.

Everyone Loves a Log

The content of all 800+ ISW posts is archived and searchable in the Atomz search window to your left. Here are the top searches from October at the Invasive Species Weblog:

• snakehead
• Harmonia (ladybugs)
• carp

Marshing Ahead

An AP article about salt marsh cord grass (Spartina alterniflora) invading San Francisco Bay is currently making the rounds. Seems the species is spreading a lot faster than even those anticipating its invasion had expected. For more on salt marsh cord grass from the ISW, search the archive.