Emerald ash borer is an Asian beetle that has become a major pest in North America. The beetle has killed tens of millions of ash trees there. Its larvae (young) bore into ashes, damaging the inner bark and hindering the flow of water and other nourishing substances inside the trees. Ashes often die from one to four years after they are infested.
Adult emerald ash borers have a hard outer body and shiny green coloring. They grow about 1/2 inch (1.3 centimeters) long. Females lay eggs in midsummer within the cracks of ash bark. Newly hatched larvae burrow into the tree to reach the soft inner bark. There they spend the winter and early spring feeding on the tree’s sap. The insects become adults by early to middle summer. Adults die shortly after mating and laying eggs.
Emerald ash borers first spread to North America on ships during the late 1900’s. To combat further spread of the insects, people have had to cut down many infested ash trees.
