An invasive long-horned beetle,Anoplophora glabripennis,was first reported in the northeastern and midwestern United States and eastern Canada between 1996 and 2004 and has been given the common name Asian longhorned beetle(ALB).This beetle has also been found in several countries in Europe.ALB is difficult to control because larvae are found within the wood of living trees and the long-lived adults often occur high in tree canopies.This species is native to China and Korea and,because it has been a major tree killer in China,government agencies in the U.S.and Canada are working to eradicate ALB from North America.Our laboratory has been developing a microbial control approach targeting ALB adults,based on the Japanese product Biolisa Kamikiri which is used to control cerambycids in orchards.Entomopathogenic fungi are grown within non-woven fiber bands(= fungal bands)and placed around tree trunks and branches where ALB adults become inoculated when walking across bands.We have conducted bioassays with Beauveria brongniartii,Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae against ALB larvae and adults to identify effective isolates and now focus our efforts on M.anisopliae F52(ARSEF 7711).Caged field trials conducted in China to compare fungal sprays with fungal bands(2000,2001)demonstrated decreased ALB longevity and fitness for both application methods but longer activity of fungi in cages treated with fungal bands compared with sprays.Uncaged field trials(2001,2002)yielded faster ALB adult mortality in fungal-treated plots and decreased fitness.Studies in New York City testing the longevity of activity of fungal bands in the field have documented that bands retain>1×107 conidia·cm-2(the threshold for activity of Biolisa Kamikiri)for over 3 months.In contrast,studies with unformulated conidia sprayed onto tree trunks in New York documented conidial survival of only a few days.Sublethal effects of exposure of adult female ALB to fungal bands have been investigated further in the laboratory.After either newly eclo
