Better ash: scientists race to create hybrid that can stand up to voracious borer

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To figure out what kills the insect, scientists must first create a media that simulates the moist environment and nutrients found in the soft wood of an ash tree, said Don Cipollini, a Wright State University chemical ecologist.

A separate group of USDA researchers is trying to find the right balance of nutrients that ash borers need in their diet. It’s the only way to get the larvae to live long enough to start eating the things that might kill them.

“You can’t let them dry out. … They can’t really crawl very well. They chew their way through their environment face first,” Cipollini said. That makes ash borers challenging compared with other insect pests.

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