Leader’s Folio

For Summer Camps, Scouts, and 

Environmental Education Organizations 

Working with Youth Ages 8 – 12

The Great EAB Escapade 

Outdoor Activity

EAB Investigator 

do-it-yourself origami 

 

Background Information

for you to share/post

More Activity Ideas

on the back cover!

Tools at a Glance

Help USDA Stop the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle (EAB)

Educate campers, scouts, and 

students about ash trees, EAB 

and not moving firewood.

Encourage them to spread 

the word to families, 

friends, and neighbors. 

Be a role model. Never 

move firewood; burn it 

where you buy it.

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hungrypests

Learn more about the EAB and how to stop its spread at www.HungryPests.com.

Thank you for joining our 

campaign to STOP THE BEETLE: NOW!

Look Online!

Don’t miss the online components at 

www.HungryPests.com: 

• “The Nature Walk” animated video, 

exploring the EAB lifecycle 

• Printable activities and games 

• The EAB Memory Game 

• Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook links

• Infestation signs and symptoms

• How to report an EAB sighting

• TV and radio commercials
Nature Can’t Defend Against EAB

Because the EAB isn’t native to the U.S., 

our ash trees don’t have any defenses 

against this invasive insect. Woodpeckers 

eat the larvae ... but there are no natural 

predators that specifically target EAB to 

control populations.

Look for Ash Trees

• Stems have 5 to 11 leaflets each

• Branches are directly across 

from each other, not staggered 

like other trees. 

• Young: Smooth bark 

• Mature: tight, diamond 

shape bark 

How the EAB Kills Ash Trees

• Female EAB lays eggs on ash 

tree bark 

• Eggs hatch and larvae tunnel into 

the tree 

• The larvae make s-shaped tunnels 

as they feed, disrupting the systems 

that transport food and water to 

the tree

• Eventually, the tree dies.

The EAB is an invasive beetle that is destroying our ash trees. Since it first appeared in Michigan, the EAB 

has killed tens of millions of trees in the United States. But together, we can work to protect our precious 

ash trees.

We Ash Trees

Let’s protect our ash trees! 

Their loss may mean... 

• a risk to public safety 

caused by dead or 

dying ash trees. 

• decreased property 

values.

• increased electricity 

use during hot weather.

• cultural losses – like for 

Native Americans, who use 

ash for traditional crafts and 

ceremonies. 

• economic losses in the 

forestry and tourism 

industries. 

• Fewer Beautiful Trees!

WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE CAN HURT . . . YOUR ASH TREES. 

If an infested tree is cut for firewood 

and the firewood is moved to a new 

location, the beetle essentially 

relocates to a new home. When that 

happens, more trees and forests are 

now at risk.
Support Purple Traps

In the spring and summer months, you 

may see triangular purple traps in areas 

with ash trees. 

• USDA uses these structures to survey 

for the presence of the EAB. 

• The traps are coated with glue to 

capture EABs; however, they pose no 

risk to humans or pets. 

• If you see them, don’t disturb them.

EAB: Where It’s From

The EAB is native to Asia. No one knows 

exactly how it got to the U.S., but we 

believe that it “hitched a ride” in wood 

packing materials used to ship products. 

The EAB was first detected in ash trees in 

Michigan in 2002. Now ash trees in other 

States are also infested. Find out if your State

has detected EAB, go to http://www.hungrypests.com/the-spread/

 

The EAB has the potential to infest trees in other 

states—if we keep helping it move. 

Ash Trees Are Important to Us All

Ash trees are important to our environment 

and our economy. They ...

• Fill gaps in the forest and provide shade 

for the forest floor. 

• Colonize and stabilize disturbed areas. 

• Out-compete weeds that prevent most 

other species from becoming established. 

• Beautify communities by thriving in 

difficult conditions, like urban areas. 

Did You Know? 

Ash wood is 

used to make...

• baseball bats

• boat oars

• flooring and 

furniture

• guitars

• hockey sticks

• tool handles

www.HungryPests.com

DON’T MOVE

FIRE W OOD

Help Protect Our Ash Trees!

Don’t Move Firewood. 

Burn it where you buy it.

Asia 

U.S.
Leaders, use these activity ideas 

to inspire your campers and kids 

to help spread the message to

Protect Our Trees 

from the EAB Creative 

Activity Ideas

Time Needed: 1 hour per activity

Process: Children work in teams of two to four. You may 

choose to have all groups do the same activity, or invite 

each group to select their own. 

Materials: creativity, imagination, pens, paper, pencils, 

markers, poster-board, and other art supplies

Depending on the time you have available, 

“Bonus” extension ideas offer additional 

creative options/outreach for each activity. 

Consider a camp-wide EAB event, fair or 

competition to showcase activity results!

Develop an Ad Campaign 

Brainstorm a cool way to share the message about the 

EAB with family and friends. If you were in charge, 

what kind of ads would you have? Where would they 

be displayed? Would there be a logo? A slogan? A 

jingle? A text message? Use your imagination and your 

team’s varied skills to plot out your campaign strategy. 

Develop and share your ad campaign.

Compose a Short Story

Storytelling is a powerful way to get a message 

across! Work together to compose a short story 

about the EAB. The storyline can be factual, such as 

what EAB looks like ... or fictional, like a story about 

a family of ash trees that receive unwanted guests. 

Include a call-to-action to Stop the Beetle: Now!

Read your story aloud to the whole 

camp at lunchtime.

Design a Poster 

Use your artistic abilities to draw, paint, or design a 

poster or collage to tell people about the EAB and 

how to stop it. Add an action message, and share 

what the beetle looks like ... the purple traps to 

catch it ... or the damage it can do to ash trees. 

Mount a Poster Exhibit in the dining area, 

cabins or building office.

Act it Out 

Be a star! Do you love to act? Create a skit with 

your team and act it out for the other groups. 

Be dramatic or humorous and remember to have 

fun with it. How can your short skit teach others 

about EAB? 

Perform skits for other campers/groups 

or on Family Day!

Write a Song or Rap

Do you have a great voice, or just love to sing? 

Work with a partner to write an original song, rap 

or jingle about protecting our ash trees from the 

EAB. Putting words together with a tune is fun. 

“Small, metallic, and emerald green, this little bug 

might never be seen.”

Stage a performance or conduct 

a sing-along.

Create a Comic Book

Tell the story of the EAB in your own graphic novel! 

What’s the storyline? Who are the characters? What 

is the setting? Experiment with cutting pages into 

individual scenes and making a flip book that shows 

the EAB and the damage it can do to ash trees.

Use a cell phone or digital camera to “film” 

your flip book by creating a themed “slide 

show” or photo gallery of your pages.

Share Your 

 

Strategies on Facebook

You’re encouraged to share your campers’/kids’ ideas and creative 

solutions by posting a comment at www.facebook.com/hungrypests. 

You’ll be helping to inspire others to stop the EAB in its tracks. 

Child Privacy Note: Be sure not to post names, photos or videos 

of your campers/kids.