Two dominant and much discussed threats to the boreal forest are industrial interests and logging. Now another threat has surfaced. According to researchers from Queen’s and York universities, lakes in the forest are suffering from “aquatic osteoporosis” due to declining calcium levels.
Cerceris fumipennis wasp with its beetle prey. This native wasp can determine in as little as 30 minutes if emerald ash borers are in the area. (Mike Bohne/U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service)
A wasp native to Ontario may soon be pressed into service as a lead investigator into potential infestations by emerald ash borers.
Trials that University of Guelph researchers conducted and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) partially funded show that Cerceris fumipennis can determine, in as little as half an hour after leaving its nest in search of prey, whether invasive beetles are in the area.
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