A foreign beetle that feeds on ash trees has turned up in Rhode Island for the first time.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture found the Emerald Ash Borer is South County Wednesday.
The beetle’s larvae bores holes in ash trees, which causes the trees to die in a few years. The bug has killed tens of millions of ash trees in the U.S. since the it was brought here accidentally from Asia.
It was detected in the Midwest first about 15 years ago. The beetle has made its way through 35 states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and now, Rhode Island.
Ash trees make up only about two percent of Rhode Island’s forests, but have been widely planted in urban neighborhoods and parks.
The state Department of Environmental Management is finalizing an action plan to prevent the bug from spreading too quickly.
The Emerald Ash Borer is typically transported from state to state when people move fire wood.
The state DEM said the beetle does not pose any human helath risk.
