cover image Beetle Busters: A Rogue Insect and the People Who Track It

Beetle Busters: A Rogue Insect and the People Who Track It

Loree Griffin Burns, photos by Ellen Harasimonwicz. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $18.99 (64p) ISBN 978-0-547-79267-5

With ostentatious striped antennae and an iridescent blue sheen, the Asian longhorned beetle is “a stunner,” as Burns puts it. But looks can kill: the insect, introduced to the U.S. in recent decades, is massively destructive, chewing up many of America’s hardwood forests. Photographs of the species, trees pockmarked by the beetle’s “exit holes,” maps, and details about scientists’ efforts to remove infested trees create a narrative that unfolds like a detective story. In her third contribution to the Scientists in the Field series, Burns delivers a fascinating look at the origins of an invasive species and efforts to combat the damage it causes. Ages 10–14. (Oct.)