The adult and pupae wasps are native to Asian areas where the emerald ash borer (beetles) are from.
The Asian-native emerald ash borer beetles attack ash trees and have been detected in parts of New Jersey, as well as across the U.S.
This year, the EAB has been detected in the following areas of New Jersey, according to the state's agricultural department:
- BERGEN: Glen Rock
- CAMDEN: Haddon Heights
- GLOUCESTER: East Greenwich
- HUNTERDON: Union, Raritan, Flemington, High Bridge, Tewksbury, Califon
- MONMOUTH: Upper Freehold
- PASSAIC: Ringwood
- SUSSEX: Sparta, Vernon, Stillwater
- WARREN: Knowlton, Frelinghuysen
The wasps, which do not sting, were released in the Moiser's Knob area, located below the Walpack Bend of the Delaware River Gap. New Jersey's Department of Agriculture also recently released its own biological agents to control the EABs in the Worthington State Forest, the New Jersey Herald reports.
The control efforts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey will be monitored by park staff and Stephanie Perles of the NPS Eastern Rivers and Mountains Inventory & Monitoring Network.
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