Ash borer beetle found in trap in Albany County

PHOTOGRAPHER: The Associated Press

State officials say an emerald ash borer has been found in a southern Albany County trap, the first discovered north of a major infestation in the Hudson Valley.

Michael Bopp, a Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman, says today the destructive beetle was stuck to a purple trap in Selkirk.

Experts have been working to slow the borer’s spread from Ulster and Greene counties after the discovery of what’s believed to be its easternmost foothold.

The insect from China was first reported in the U.S. near Detroit in 2002 and then in southwestern New York in 2009. The population has been steadily spreading, killing millions of trees in at least 14 states and two Canadian provinces.

In addition to its natural spread, the borer can travel in timber and firewood.