The Asian Longhorned Beetle is an invading insect from Asia which has proven very destructive in the forests of the US.  It attacks deciduous as well as coniferous trees and causes them to die by laying their eggs deep inside the tree. The larvae then eat the tree from the inside out. Whole stands of trees have had to be cut down and burned in order to prevent expansion of the ALB population.

The White Spotted Sawyer which looks very similar to the ALB is native to the United Stated and infests weaked coniferous trees only. They are more of a clean-up crew. They are not a threat.

Below you will find a chart with information on both. One of the primary differences to recognize is the white spot on the White Spotted Sawyer just below its head, which does not appear on the ALB. Hope this helps.

Asian Longorned Beetle information	http://massnrc.org/pests/alb/albmedia.htm
	http://asianlonghornedbeetle.com/
ALB vs White Spotted Sawyer	http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/alb/pubs/alb_wss/alb_wss.htm