Invasive Emerald Ash Borer Beetle Spreads to Five More Texas Counties

The emerald ash borer, an invasive metallic-green beetle that tunnels beneath ash-tree bark, has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees across North America. It has now been confirmed in five more Texas counties, extending the range of one of the continent's most destructive invasive forest pests.

Texas A&M Forest Service confirmed new detections in Delta, Erath, Hardin, Walker, and Wood counties, bringing the number of Texas counties with confirmed infestations this year to eight. The finds came through the agency's statewide monitoring program, which places purple traps across the state during the beetles' flight season, roughly February or early March through July or August. Trapping for 2026 has ended, but officials keep watching for infestation signs year-round.

First detected in Texas in 2016, the beetle has steadily expanded its range and now threatens all 16 ash species native to the state, in cities and forests. Demian Gomez, Texas A&M Forest Service regional forest health coordinator, said: "As the current southernmost boundary for this insect in the U.S., Hardin County signals a clear message: where ash trees extend south, this pest has been able to follow."

Adult beetles are metallic green and about half an inch long; their pale larvae feed unseen beneath the bark, carving winding, S-shaped galleries that disrupt a tree's ability to move water and nutrients. Early infestations are hard to spot because trees may show few or no signs at first. As damage progresses, trees develop thinning canopies, splitting bark, increased woodpecker activity, and the D-shaped holes adult beetles leave when they emerge.

The beetle can spread on its own, but people speed its movement by transporting infested firewood, logs, and other ash wood products, so Texas A&M Forest Service advises buying firewood near where it will be used. The agency also works with the Texas Department of Agriculture on quarantine zones restricting the movement of wood products that could carry the beetle into new areas.