In a day and age where it feels like there’s a new problem every week, it’s hard to care about a bug. Yet, a relatively “new” pest is threatening to create a big headache for small communities like ours.

You may have read about the emerald ash borer (EAB) recently creeping its way into O’Brien and Clay counties. The beetle, native to Asia, came to North America nearly 20 years ago and has wreaked havoc on ash trees throughout the Midwest. The adult beetles aren’t the threat – it’s the larva, which feast on tissue underneath the bark and eventually destroy the tree’s abilit...