Terrestrial Terror Round 1: Insect wars - this pest v. pest smack down is a great way to get to know your urban tree insect pests - MSU

Terrestrial Terror Round 1: Insect wars | Great Lakes Echo

Editor’s note: Great Lakes SmackDown Terrestrial Terror is an ongoing Great Lakes Echo series. Brackets can be filled out until Friday, March 18. Find more information here.

By Alice Rossignol and Rachael Gleason

They stink, they sting and bore holes – it’s time for the insects to fight the battle of the bug.
EMERALD ASH BORER vs. SIREX WOODWASP

First to square-off, all the way from Asia, is the Emerald Ash Borer, or “The Green Menace.” This shiny plated insect is a professional ash tree killer. It bores through the bark, messing up the tree’s system which leads to certain death! Also from across the globe, the Sirex Woodwasp, also known as, “Miley Cyrex,” also drives through tree bark. It injects toxic mucus and eggs that interact to successfully murder it. We hope this match doesn’t “bore” you to death.