On August 24th, 2025, off-duty inspectors with the Clemson Department of Plant Industry detected the presence of the invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Survey teams with the South Carolina ALB Eradication Program are actively working to delimit the affected area.
In response, a new state and federal quarantine will be established within the coming weeks to help contain and manage the infestation.
Attention Contractors:
Tree care professionals, landscapers, and sitework contractors working within the Mount Pleasant area should contact the ALB Program before beginning work on any known host trees. Guidance will be provided on approved methods for handling and disposing of this potentially infested material.
Your cooperation is essential to protecting South Carolina’s trees and forests.
How Residents Can Help:
Residents of Mount Pleasant can assist by reporting any suspicious signs of ALB infestation, including:
- Large, round exit holes — About the size of a pencil, created when adult beetles emerge from the tree.
- Sap oozing down the bark — Often appearing as dark streaks or wet spots below exit holes or wounds.
- Shallow, discolored depressions — Where female beetles chew into the bark to lay eggs.
- Sawdust or wood shavings — Accumulating at the base of the tree or caught in branch crotches, caused by larval feeding inside the wood.
Submit a Report:
To report potential sightings or tree damage, please submit your observations, including photos if possible, here: https://clemson.edu/alb.
