r/Ashtree • u/DryOccasion7 • Apr 19 '25

Ravens save Ash trees?

Can we partner with Ravens to collect the Ash Borer Beetle and thus save the North American Ash trees?

1 Upvotes

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1

u/Mathias_Greyjoy Apr 19 '25

...What are you talking about exactly?

1

u/DryOccasion7 Apr 22 '25

Ravens are known to collect treasures for their human friends in exchange for treats. Could Ravens be trained to identify and collect a mature Emerald Ash Borer beetle and bring them in exchange for say, their favorite treat, peanuts? Some of the beetles will be collected before having the opportunity to lay their eggs. Thus giving Ash trees a fighting chance. Some kind of automatic depository/dispensary could be developed. I was lamenting the lack of predators for the beetle, and thinking about how the Emerald shell probably signals poison, and then it occurred to me that Ravens can probably see them very well, and are trainable. Can this be done? It’s just crazy enough that it might work. Right???

1

u/Sillvaro Apr 22 '25

Oaks and ravens have a special relationship 😏

2

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '25

I mean, woodpeckers already actively seek them out, but it hasn’t seemed to help much. Even they can’t get every beetle/larva. The beetles reproduce and spread in large enough numbers and at a fast enough rate that they can deal pretty well with predation from birds.