The adults are expected to lay their eggs within the next month. Officials believe the bug has been in the park at least 10 years, after being carried by ship to a nearby container pier. A Dalhousie University ecologist, Bill Freedman, has recently criticized the agency for not cutting down the trees immediately and preventing what he called a potentially catastrophic infestation. But Mr. Cunningham said Tuesday the agency and others are moving as quickly as possible, noting the beetle was only discovered in March and linked to forest devastation in the park about two weeks ago. In their native habitat, the beetles feed on dead and dying trees but they're also attacking healthy trees in the park.
Infested trees secrete a white or greyish resin.
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