Here is some good news in the fight against the invasive emerald ash borer that has devastated the native ash tree population. In Minnesota—home to nearly a billion ash trees—a winter cold snap may have killed half of the invasive insects exposed to temperatures of 20 below. In areas where the temperature reached 30 below, the insects’ mortality rate rose to almost 90 percent. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered multiple species of fungi that attack the bug. These fungi may help to sustain the endangered ash tree by naturally controlling or eliminating the EAB population.
