Have trees around your house? Take a few minutes to check them for an invasive beetle.
The request comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has designated August as National Tree Check Month.
In Michigan, officials are primarily worried about the Asian longhorned beetle. The distinctively large, shiny black beetles have random white blotches or spots.
They turned up in the U.S. more than 20 years ago and likely came from Asia in wood packing materials. They haven't been spotted in Michigan but have been found in neighboring Ohio.
The beetle eats its way through the insides of trees, damaging and often killing them. It prefers maples but also will infest other hardwoods.
Anyone spotting the beetle is asked to report it to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Email is: MDA-Info@michigan.gov or phone the MDARD Customer Service Center, 800-292-3939.
Officials also encourage you to report beetle sightings using the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN) online reporting tool .