CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio — Officials are removing a large portion of a quarantine area in Clermont County for the Asian Longhorned Beetle as eradication processes continue to make progress. 

The Ohio Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture made the announcement of the reduction, the second such removal of regulations from the original quarantine area. 

What You Need To Know

  • Asian Longhorned Beetles were first discovered in Clermont County in 2011

  • This is the second reduction of the original quarantine area

  • This latest removal is a 5.2 square mile area that includes part of East Fork State Park and Tate Township
  • There is still 44 square miles under quarantine

This latest removal is a 5.2 square mile area that includes part of East Fork State Park and Tate Township south of William H. Harsha Lake, and north and west of North Campbell Road. 

“The reduction of this quarantine area shows our eradication efforts through this program are working,” said ODA Director Brian Baldridge. “Ohio communities affected by this invasive pest have stepped up to report infestations, helping with this critical work. ODA and our federal partners will continue its work in eliminating the ALB, reducing the harmful impacts on Ohio’s economy and forests.”

The beetle was first discovered in Tate Township, Clermont Couty in 2011. Since then, 118,233 trees have been removed to stop the spread of the insect. 

Asian Longhorned Beetles have no known natural predators and pose a threat to the state’s hardwood forests and nursery industry. The insect is a wood-boring beetle that attacks 12 types of hardwood trees in Ohio including maples, elms, birches, willows and buckeyes. Through its feeding, the beetle creates tunnels and chews its way out as an adult in warmer months. The infested trees do not recover and eventually die, becoming safety hazards as their weakened branches can drop and trees can fall. 

There are distinctive markings on the beetle that make it easy to recognize:

  • Black and white antennae that stretch longer than the bug’s body
  • A shiny black body with white spots measuring about 1 inch to 1.5 inches long
  • Six legs and feet that can appear bluish

To check trees for infested, look for round exit holes in tree trunks and branches approximately the size of a dime or smaller and shallow oval or round scars in the bark where the adult beetles have chewed an egg site. Another sign is a sawdust-like material, called frass, that can be found on the branches or ground. Dead branches or limbs falling from a healthy-looking tree is another signal of an infestation.

There are 44 square miles of quarantine for the beetle still in effect in Clermont County, including portions of Tate Township, East Fork State Park and East Fork Wildlife Area.

Under the quarantine, regulated items, such as firewood, including all hardwood species, nursery stock and logs from host species, branches and other woody materials a half inch or more in diameter may not be moved out of the area without a compliance agreement, permit or certificate.