elm bark beetle

noun

: either of two beetles (family Scolytidae) that are vectors for the fungus causing Dutch elm disease:
a
: one (Hylurgopinus rufipes) native to eastern North America
b
: one (Scolytus multistriatus) introduced from Europe into eastern North America

Examples of elm bark beetle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fall is the best time to prune elms; elm bark beetles do not fly in autumn. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2024 Elms, for example, should not be pruned in spring or summer when the destructive elm bark beetle is actively moving from tree to tree, looking for an open wound to enter the plant. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2024 A week prior the town of Hanover had sprayed its Elm trees with DDT, in an attempt to save the trees from Dutch elm disease caused by elm bark beetles. Amanda Gokee, BostonGlobe.com, 21 July 2023 The elm bark beetle had arrived from the sea, carried in the hull of a ship. Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2022 Hundreds of thousands of elms are being taken out by Dutch elm disease, spread by the voracious elm bark beetle. Zoya Teirstein, Wired, 14 Aug. 2021 In the early 20th century, Dutch elm disease, a fungus from Asia that is spread by elm bark beetles, killed 75 percent of native elms. Claire Marie Porter, WIRED, 2 Aug. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of elm bark beetle was circa 1909

Dictionary Entries Near elm bark beetle

Cite this Entry

“Elm bark beetle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elm%20bark%20beetle. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

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