New Haven, Connecticut – Hikers climbing East Rock Park and families walking beneath the trees on the New Haven Green are being urged to act immediately if they spot a destructive invasive beetle capable of killing hardwood trees across southern Connecticut this spring.
According to the U.S. Forest Service and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, the Asian longhorned beetle attacks maple, birch, willow, poplar and elm trees. Officials warn the insect burrows deep into trunks, cutting off nutrients and weakening trees long before visible dieback appears.
East Rock Park, Lighthouse Point Park and the Yale University campus feature mature maples and other hardwoods that shade trails, shoreline paths and historic gathering spaces. Similar tree cover stretches into West Rock Ridge State Park and neighborhoods in Hamden and West Haven.
The beetle is glossy black with bright white spots and long black-and-white banded antennae that extend beyond its body. Visitors may notice perfectly round exit holes in trunks or sawdust-like material collecting at the base of trees.
If infestations spread, weakened limbs could snap during strong spring wind events common along Long Island Sound, creating hazards along park roads and heavily used walking paths.
Officials urge residents and park visitors to kill the beetle on sight if safely possible and report sightings immediately to state agriculture authorities. Early detection this season could prevent widespread tree removal and protect New Haven’s coastal and urban canopy into summer.
