Damage from invasive beetle spreads in east Japan's Gunma Pref.

MAEBASHI -- Damage to cherry and other trees caused by an invasive beetle has been newly confirmed in the Gunma Prefecture city of Annaka, meaning the insect has now spread to 16 municipalities, the Gunma Prefectural Government has announced.

Damage from the red-necked longhorn beetle, a designated invasive alien species, has spread in the prefecture from east to west. Between April and August, damage was reported in the cities of Ota, Tatebayashi and Kiryu, among other municipalities, affecting a record high of 7,684 trees including cherry, plum and peach trees.

After the insects were first confirmed in the prefecture in 2015, their habitat expanded rapidly, but extermination efforts and other measures have had some effect in controlling their numbers, and the damage stood at 1.01 times compared with the previous year. In 2022, the "Gunma kubiaka net" service was launched to allow residents to report damage from red-necked longhorn beetles.

(Japanese original by Ryuko Tadokoro, Maebashi Bureau)