National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Alien Beetles Tracked with "Ray Guns," Dental Floss


Email to a Friend	<< Back to Full Story

The invasive Asian longhorned beetle, most likely transported across the globe in wooden packing material, has wreaked havoc on hardwood trees in the U.S. and other countries.

Scientists are now using a radar detector resembling a Buck Rogers prop and tags attached with dental floss to track how far such wood-eating insects can travel.

Photograph by Michael Smith/ARS/USDA