Dennis Souto, the entomologist from the USDA NE in Durham NH was coming up to Tree School next week, and has just had to cancel.  The following excerpt from his message should be of general interest:

"We learned of a new Asian longhorned beetle infestation late
last week.  It's located about 7 miles from the original 1996 infestation's
quarantine area in Bayside NY.  APHIS needs our help to define the boundaries
of this new infestation (actually, they estimate that  it's been there about 5
years!).  I will be leaving here on Monday morning (2/22) and will probably be
there for 2 weeks."

Reply to post by Jerry Bond, on February 16, 1999 at 14:24:41:

Been found out here in Vancouver as well, on pallet materials from China. Big flap and major effort to educate importers, but it does not seem like the Chinese exporters wory too much. Nice looking beetle, pretty blue feet, but large exit holes. I hear they call it Balck and Decker disease in the east becasue some folks who want trees cut down are drilling holes in the trunk to try and make it look like an attack. Imagine!

Nowt so queer as folk!

Julian