From the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation:

DEC is encouraging New York pool owners to participate in DEC’s annual Asian Longhorned Beetle Swimming Pool Survey. This is the time of year when Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) emerge as adults and are most active outside of their host tree. The goal of the survey is to look for and find these exotic, invasive beetles before these pests cause serious damage to our forests and street trees. DEC is requesting that people with swimming pools periodically check their pool filters for any insects that resemble ALB and either e-mail photos to foresthealth@dec.ny.gov or mail insects for identification to DEC’s Forest Health Diagnostics Lab, Attn: Jessica Cancelliere,108 Game Farm Road, Delmar, NY 12054.

ALB is a wood boring beetle native to Asia that was accidentally introduced to the United States through wood packing materials. These pests attack a variety of hardwoods, including maples, birches and willows. They have caused the death of hundreds of thousands of trees across the country. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) has worked diligently to manage the ALB infestations in our state and succeeded in eradicating the invasive beetle from Staten Island, Manhattan, Islip and Eastern Queens.