State officials say the recent cold snap may have helped reduce the population of the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.
As the polar vortex swept through the country, temperatures in Ohio plummeted. Many parts of the state dipped to 10 degrees below zero. While this weather created dangerous and miserable conditions, there may be one positive outcome.
Brett Gates with the Ohio Department of Agriculture says subzero temperatures can kill off a large amount of Emerald Ash Borers, the invasive insect responsible for killing many trees in Ohio.
Gates: “Some of those insect larva start dying off and you know the percentages go up as the temperatures go down so when you get around -10 you might see a third of them die—at least according to studies. We don’t know if we might see that in Ohio but obviously any sort of setback would be welcomed.”
Emerald Ash Borers have wiped out trees in neighborhoods and parks all around the state. Gates sends a reminder that, even though you can’t see the insects, they can be still be buried inside firewood so it’s still important to buy local and burn local.