Check those pool filters for another invasive species

Got bugs?

State forestry officials want them specifically any that resemble the dreaded Asian longhorned beetle, an invasive species that can cut a destructive path through maples, elms, willows and other hardwoods.

Turns out the black-and-white tree feasters are drawn to swimming pools. But theyre lousy swimmers. Entomologists discovered pool filters and baskets are a treasure trove for insects of all kinds. In a preemptive strike to keep the Asian longhorned beetle from getting a foothold in the Granite State, state officials are enlisting the help of pool owners across the state.

What were asking people is to just look in their pool filters and look for these huge, glossy black-and-white longhorned beetles, said Kyle Lombard, forest entomologist with the state Division of Forest and Lands.

If anything resembling the longhorned beetle shows up, state officials ask pool owners to take a picture of it and upload the photo at nhbugs.org/asian-longhorned-beetle. To date, the Asian longhorned beetle has not been found in New Hampshire.

Weve learned pool filters are probably the best insect collector in the country, Lombard said Thursday.

State forestry officials got the pool survey idea from Worcester, Mass., where the Asian longhorned beetle caused major damage after first being detected there in 2008, Lombard said.

This thing is a lazy flier and tended to show up in swimming pools in Worcester, Lombard said.

Noel Negroni knows all about bugs in pools. The Manchester resident said he has never seen so many in the 14 years hes had an inground pool at his 204 Prospect St.

Its an infestation, Negroni said. Its like hundreds of them in the pool when I get up every morning.

Go here to see the original:
Check those pool filters for another invasive species