Maine Forest Service Will Use Wasps to Fight Off Invasive Pests
The Maine Forest Service has decided to deploy wasps to help fight off an invasive pest species that can do damage to trees in the state, the Associated Press reports.
The emerald ash borer has become a problem and a threat to the trees that they live in. They're a green buprestid or jewel beetle native to north eastern Asia, according to the AP. The news site reports that the females lay their eggs in bark crevices on ash trees, and larvae feed underneath the bark until they emerge as adults in one to two years.
The Maine Forest Service says the tiny, non-stinging wasps will be released on Thursday to help control the emerald ash borer infestation in the state, according to the AP. It says the wasps feed in or on the borers by attacking their larvae under the bark of trees and parasitizing eggs on the surface of bark.
The AP stated that there will be three different types of wasps used in the effort to control the borers.