ALBANY (AP) Environmental officials say New York residents with swimming pools can help them monitor invasive beetles this summer.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation tracks the spread of the Asian long-horned beetle because the invasive species can devastate trees, especially maples. They are inviting pool owners to help their monitoring efforts over the next month, when the adult beetles emerge from trees and become active.
State officials say pool owners can check their filters and skimmers for Asian long-horned beetles, take pictures of suspected invasive beetles and email the images to foresthealth@dec.ny.gov. They ask pool owners to freeze the insects until the agency responds.
Asian long-horned beetles have killed hundreds of thousands of trees across the nation, including trees in New York City and on Long Island.
