June 15, 2013 Tabytha
Beu
“Emerald Ash Borer Epidemic: How
Can Something So Small Cause So Much Damage?”
Photograph: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/images/EABadultsideview.jpg
The Agrilus Planapennis, more commonly known as the Emerald
Ash Borer is an emerald green, half inch long beetle that has been ravishing
the ash trees in North America. This
beetle was discovered in 2002 in the United States, in Michigan, and has
destroyed billions of ash trees in the US alone.
Despite what many people may think, it is not the adult
Emerald Ash Borers that are causing most of the damage to the ash tree
population. Rather, it is the larvae of
the species. The adult beetles feast
only on the leaves of the ash trees and cause little damage. The baby Ash Borers are what cause the most
damage.
The female Ash Borer will lay her eggs on the bark of the
ash tree. When the larvae have hatched
they will then bore into the center of the trees, hence their name. Once inside of the center of the tree they will
feed on the soft tissue of its vascular system.
This destroys the trees path of delivering nutrients and will kill the
entire tree in an average of three years.
Despite many attempts to develop an Ash Borer resistant
tree, all have failed and the beetle is not showing any signs of slowing down.
An article relating to the event: (https://www.toledoblade.com/local/2013/06/02/Outlook-grim-for-battle-against-borer.html)
I have never heard of this type of problem occurring in North America and the United States before Tabytha. It is strange that the offspring of these beetles are the ones causing so much difficulty for the Ash tree. Is there a reason why the Ash tree is targeted specifically? There has to be some effect to the ecosystem due to the mass loss of trees and I wonder about the long-term consequences of these beetles if they are not a natural part of the habitat. When you said that “despite many attempts to develop an Ash Borer resistant tree, all have failed and the beetle is not showing any signs of slowing down” it made me wonder about the impact this bug is having. Is there any chance of the Ash Borer spreading or expanding across the whole country, jumping from forest to forest? I hope that, in the future, we can find a solution, or at least method to restrain these creatures.
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