Foreign Invaders: Recent Insect Arrivals that Threaten American Agriculture and Local Economies (Part 2 – The Emerald Ash Borer)

Hello once again “dog-blog” fans; welcome back to this week’s edition of my blog, What’s Buggin’ You? As you probably already know, I am Hunter; Loyal Termite and Pest Control’s certified K-9 Termite Detective. I hope you are all doing very well.

One reason I write this weekly blog is to alert and educate our Loyal fans about any new changes or trends happening within our geographic pest environment. As noted in the title of this blog; there are Foreign Invaders slipping into our country and tearing up much of our agriculture. The severity of destruction is dependant on what the pest is and what specific form of agriculture each may prefer to destroy. This always starts at a point where the pest, and its destructive force, is first discovered. Last week in Part 1, I spoke at length about the Kudzu Bug. This week, in Part 2 of this series; I will tell you about The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).

The Emerald Ash Borer is spreading quickly across much of the country. Currently, a high concentration in the state of Ohio is causing costly damages for local governments and residents. Much like other wood-damaging pests, this species can multiply quickly and totally destroy trees and hardwood. Native to China and Eastern Asia, the EAB is believed to have arrived in North America in wood packing used to ship goods: according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“Just as a wildfire often spreads by sparks from the main fire, so the EAB is spreading through the state,” Joe Boggs, an Ohio State University extension service educator told the AP. “Once these little crackling fires are established, the population starts building until it explodes into full conflagration.”

The small but mighty bugs are responsible for the death or decline of tens of millions of trees in 13 states in the Midwest, along the East Coast and in parts of Canada. The EAB is costing millions of dollars in damage to trees and hardwood. The areas hardest hit have a quarantine that prohibits the transportation of firewood from these areas to prevent the spreading of potential infestations.

As with the Kudzu Bug, researchers are scrambling to better understand The Emerald Ash Borer and how to prevent these plant and hardwood destroyers from continuing to cost America billions of dollars in lost revenue.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us by phone, our website, or through social media. Until next time this is Hunter, Loyal’s K-9 Termite Detective wondering, What’s Buggin’ You? I’ll bark at you again next week. Ruff! Ruff!