The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a deceptively beautiful insect. As the first part of the name implies, the one-centimetre long beetles are an iridescent, metallic green . They have large, dark eyes and some might even call them cute.
But as the second part of its name implies, they are also a prolific pest in North America, where they have killed tens of millions of ash trees . The insect has recently been found for the first time in Vancouver , seemingly having jumped two provinces to get there from Manitoba — previously the farthest west they had been seen in Canada. We are entomologists who have 30 years experience in forest insects.
Chris MacQuarrie in particular has studied this insect for most of the past 15 years. This arrival is concerning to us. Invasive import The emerald ash borer is native to colder parts of East Asia.
It likely arrived in eastern North America in the early 1990s by hitching a ride on imported, untreated, wood-packing material. Many invasive organisms are intercepted at ports by Canadian or American federal inspectors, but the sheer volume of imported material means some pests slip through. Insects that escape detection often cannot find suitable food or climate conditions in their new home and die out quickly.
This was not the case for the emerald ash borer, which can adapt to deep cold and found on arrival a glut of ash trees to gorge upon. In 2002, the pest was first detected, simultaneously, in Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ont . Since then .