The U.S. Department of Agriculture is urging people across the Northeast to be on the lookout for the Asian longhorned beetle, a nonnative pest that threatens maple trees and other species of hardwood.
On Wednesday state entomologist Jon Turmel will be participating in a survey in Burlington to look for the Asian longhorned beetle as well as the emerald ash borer.
The Asian beetle has been found near Worcester, Mass., while the ash borer has been found just south of Montreal.
Turmel says the U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding awareness programs for the Asian long-horned beetle.
He says the only way to control the pests once they are discovered is to cut down infected trees, chip them up and then burn them.