Protecting Elm Trees from Elm Bark Beetle on the Texas High Plains

The lesser European elm bark beetle (Scolytus multistriatus) was introduced to the United States in 1904 near Boston, MA, and is now widely distributed in the eastern half of the United States and on the High Plains. This insect passes the winter in the larval stage beneath bark and emerges as an adult in April and May. Adults are about 1/8 inch long, dark reddish-brown to black, and generally cylindrical in shape.