Bugs crawling over or bumping against car windshields aren’t rare. But when that bug is an emerald ash borer beetle, the situation goes from gross to nightmarish fast. The bug’s appearance riding on a windshield marks Washington state’s first confirmed encounter with one of North America’s most destructive invasive pests.
Two people spotted the emerald ash borer on their car near Vancouver, Washington, on Aug. 3 and collected it after learning that the insect should be reported. The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) says the specimen eventually reached state officials, who then submitted it to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for formal identification.
USDA confirmed on Aug. 19 that the insect was an emerald ash borer. It is the first confirmed sighting of the species in Washington, writes WSDA, although the beetle had previously reached neighboring Oregon and British Columbia.
Emerald ash borers attack ash trees from the inside. Their larvae feed beneath the bark, damaging the tissue that carries water and nutrients through the tree and eventually causing it to die. They have proven highly destructive to millions of trees in more than 30 states, according to Southern Forest Health.
A Windshield Helped Reveal Washington’s First Detection
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State officials said that because agencies could examine the actual beetle, they did not have to spend additional time and resources surveying the area just to collect a specimen for identification.
In situations like these, time is precious.
Washington had already been preparing for the pest’s eventual arrival. Aug. 18 marked the start of a state quarantine regulating firewood brought into Washington. Untreated wood can carry invasive insects and diseases, including emerald ash borer.
Officials are now asking residents to report any possible sightings. The state recommends photographing suspected beetles and, when possible, preserving a specimen in a sealed plastic bag in the freezer or in a vial of alcohol so experts can examine it.
The Beetle Has Already Devastated Ash Trees Across The U.S.
Emerald ash borer is native to Asia and was first detected in the United States near Detroit, Michigan, in 2002. By April 2026, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reported infestations in 38 states and the District of Columbia.
The damage has been enormous. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that emerald ash borers have killed more than 100 million native ash trees in North America.
The insect is particularly destructive because its larvae tunnel beneath the bark and interfere with a tree’s ability to move water and nutrients. North American ash trees have little natural resistance to the pest, and WSDA says all true ash species are vulnerable, including Oregon ash, the Pacific Northwest’s only native ash.
Washington officials do not expect eradication to be simple. WSDA says no effort has ever successfully eliminated the emerald ash borer once it has been established, making it especially important to slow its spread—and avoid moving potentially infested firewood—now that the beetle has officially reached the state.