If you've ever seen an emerald ash borer, you've likely been impressed by its beauty. As the name implies, the emerald ash borer is a stunning deep emerald green that shines in the sun. This is a long and slender exotic beetle that feeds exclusively on ash trees. Not to be confused with the tiger beetle, which is a wider and helpful insect, the emerald ash borer is an insect you don't want to see anywhere.

While this beetle does not pose a threat to humans directly since it's not poisonous and doesn't bite, it does pose a threat to humans in an indirect way and to the ash tree in a very direct way. In fact, if you ever see an emerald ash borer, call your local authorities in charge of tracking and eradicating this insect right away. Here are reasons why this beautiful bug is such a danger.

This insect is very invasive

Where you see one emerald ash borer, there are sure to be others in the same area. If you see one of these insects on your property, then you'll likely have to quarantine or cut down your affected trees and neighboring trees will have to be closely watched or cut down as well as a precaution to slow the spread of this pesky insect. Since this very invasive emerald ash borer can quickly destroy whole populations of the ash tree, the only way to really reduce its numbers is to take drastic prevention measures.

The insect is very costly

It costs a lot of time and money to prevent an emerald ash borer infestation and to take care of infected trees. Since the insect can cost communities, counties, states, and recreational parks lots of money in eradication efforts, it's important to understand just what a threat this insect really is. Just because an emerald ash borer is a beautiful bug and doesn't harm humans the way wasps or mosquitoes do doesn't mean the insect is easy to ignore.

Any emerald ash borer sighting needs to be reported to the proper authorities. This is the only way to keep this insect from spreading. If you have ash trees or have neighbors who have these trees, keep an eye out for a slender, stunning green beetle. This beetle may be a harmless and helpful tiger beetle, or it may be the more dangerous and threatening emerald ash borer.

If you see one of these insects on your property, call a tree service, such as Schulhoff Tree & Lawn Care, Inc.

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