Burmese pythons are slithering through the Everglades. Russian Zebra mussels are clogging water intake pipes in the Great Lakes. Asian longhorned beetles are killing trees in the Northeast. More than 50,000 alien plant and animal species are creeping and crawling across the U.S., competing against and too often overwhelming beneficial native species.

Why Invasives Are a Problem

Unlike native species, which are kept in check by natural predators, invasive species are not part of the natural local food chain. With no natural predators to maintain a healthy ecological balance, populations of invasive species are able to grow quickly. In just a few generations they can overwhelm local ecosystems and become a serious pest problem in their adopted country.

3 Worst Invasive Pests

1. One of the most invasive foreign pests in New Jersey, the brown marmorated stink bug costs the state’s agricultural industry millions of dollars in lost crops every year. These pests also create an annoying fall pest problem for Monmouth County, New Jersey residents as they creep into homes to overwinter in wall voids. Native to China and Japan, these plant feeders arrived in Asian shipping containers in the late 1990s and now outnumber native stink bugs 10 to 1. With no natural predator in the U.S., populations will continue to grow!

2. The Asian longhorned beetle poses a threat to 35% of New Jersey’s trees. Native to Asia and Japan, its larvae infest and kill numerous tree species.

3. A Southeast Asia native only recently found in New Jersey, the black-and-white striped Asian tiger mosquito spreads West Nile virus and Dengue fever.

Keep insect pests from bothering you with Allison Pest Control’s home protection plans.