On Wednesday, June 9th, the Somerville Garden Club will sponsor a short course by horticulturalist Debra Elson, on the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) and other pests.

The Asian Longhorned Beetle [ALB] has a well-deserved reputation for being an aggressive, voracious pest. A video, “Lurking in the Trees”, about the ALB crisis in Worcester, MA, will be shown. Elson will address the importance of vigilance about this beetle, as well as steps for containing the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Winter Moth, Eastern Tent Caterpillar, and Gypsy Moth Caterpillar.

Elson is a horticulturalist with the Department of Conservation and Recreation [DCR]. She attended Green School, a comprehensive certificate program offered by UMass Amherst and has done extensive research on insect pests of New England Forests. She has worked in nurseries and as a designer, and belongs to the Lexington Field and Garden Club and the Beth Shalom Garden Club.