CHARLESTON, W.V. (AP) - The number of counties in West Virginia infested with an invasive beetle is growing.
The state Department of Agriculture said Thursday that the emerald ash borer recently was found in Clay County. The discovery raises the total number of infested counties to 17.
Agriculture Commissioner Gus R. Douglass says invasive insects can spread through moving firewood from one area to another.
The emerald ash borer has been found in 11 counties this year alone. The others are Brooke, Berkeley, Greenbrier, Gilmer, Hancock, Kanawha, Mingo, Summers, Webster and Wirt.
The borer has killed millions of ash trees in North America. It also has been found in recent years in Calhoun, Fayette, Morgan, Nicholas, Raleigh and Roane counties.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
