beetle's

Once an ash is infested with EAB eggs, it dies within three to five years, several experts said, and according to a USDA report, as of 2009 federal and state agencies have spent more than $209 million trying to manage the beetle's populations in the U.S., usually by cutting down or girdling ash trees.

The Bugs Rescuing the Baseball Bats Mike Sielski 2011

Halem added that he wasn't aware of this recent effort to halt the beetle's advance.

The Bugs Rescuing the Baseball Bats Mike Sielski 2011

But the Ectors question the science behind that data and note that the Puritan tiger beetle's habitat was never officially designated as critical, a requirement of the Endangered Species Act. Several Chesapeake Ranch Estates residents have been trying for years to get permits from federal, state and local governments to stabilize the cliffs and save their homes.

From Calvert County cliffside properties, homeowners battle tiger beetle, time Christy Goodman 2010

In China, however, various species of parasitic wasps have contained the beetle's spread by killing anywhere from 60% to 90% of its eggs and larvae, the USDA report said.

The Bugs Rescuing the Baseball Bats Mike Sielski 2011

Boltz said Louisville Slugger is considering a plan to draw more ash from the New England area, should the beetle's advance continue unimpeded.

The Bugs Rescuing the Baseball Bats Mike Sielski 2011

The Ectors argue the government has been denying homeowners permits to fix the eroding cliffs based on the Endangered Species Act, but say since the beetle's habitat was never declared critical, the law is invalid.

From Calvert County cliffside properties, homeowners battle tiger beetle, time Christy Goodman 2010

About half of the 234 properties within 100 feet or less of the cliff's edge have been found to be within the beetle's habitat, according to officials.

Calvert homeowners gain hope but still fear cliff erosion Christy Goodman 2010

About half of the 234 properties within 100 feet or less of the cliff's edge have been found to be within the beetle's habitat, according to officials.

Calvert homeowners gain hope but still fear cliff erosion Christy Goodman 2010

About half of the 234 properties within 100 feet or less of the cliff's edge have been found to be within the beetle's habitat, according to officials.

Calvert homeowners gain hope but still fear cliff erosion Christy Goodman 2010

They've begun introducing Asian wasps—the borer's natural predators—into New York's forest ecosystem in an attempt to slow the beetle's infestation and assure the survival of the state's ash trees.

The Bugs Rescuing the Baseball Bats Mike Sielski 2011