Beetle Regulation area expanded

Shrewsbury - Curbside pickup of yard waste will go on as scheduled during the weeks of Oct. 20 to 24, Nov. 3 to 7, Nov. 17 to 21 and Dec. 1 to 5 despite the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) restrictions in town.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation has expanded the regulated area in Shrewsbury to include all areas that fall to the west of Route 140 and north of Route 9 as well as west of Lake Street and south of Route 9.

Residents living within this regulated area are prohibited from removing any materials themselves, including firewood, live beetles, wood, logs, stumps, roots, branches and green lumber from the area. The town is responsible for handling all materials removed from the area.

Town pick-up of these items will not change for residents, however the town must make changes to the process of collecting and disposing this waste.

Instead of a simple onestop drop-off, items from these areas must be first brought to SAC Park on Lake

Street, examined by officials and then brought to a designated drop-off spot in Worcester.

A l though the impact of the beetle infestation has not resulted in any hard costs for the town yet, Town Manager Daniel Morgado said he's hoping the federal government will cover the cost of transporting the waste an additional time.

So far, 1,265 trees throughout Worcester have shown tell-tale signs of infestation including perfectly round exit holes about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter made by adult beetles when they emerge from trees, pockmarks on tree trunks and branches where female beetles deposited eggs, and wood shavings and sawdust produced by larvae feeding and tunneling.

Anyone who believes they may have evidence of ALB infestation on their property can contact the ALB office on Skyline Drive in Worcester at 508-799-8330, the Massachusetts Pest Alert Hotline at 617-626-1779 or the city of Worcester Customer Service Center at 508-929-1300 for additional information.