Mass. To Mark Eradication Of Beetle From Boston

BOSTON (AP) — State and federal officials are gathering in Boston to celebrate the eradication of the destructive Asian longhorned beetle in the city.

State Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Rick Sullivan will be joined by officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and elected officials to discuss the success Monday at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain.

Boston joins only five other areas declared free of the invasive insect.

A small beetle infestation was discovered on the grounds of Faulkner Hospital in July 2010.

The invasive species was first detected in Massachusetts in 2008.

That much more serious infestation in Worcester and surrounding towns led to the destruction of tens of thousands of trees.

The black-and-white beetles native to China bore holes in hardwoods, eventually killing them.

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