elm bark beetle

American  

[elm bahrk beet-l] / ˈɛlm ˌbɑrk ˌbit l /

noun

1. Also called smaller European elm bark beetle.  a shiny, dark reddish-brown bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus, originating in Europe and now widespread in the U.S.: the primary vector of Dutch elm disease.

2. Also called native elm bark beetle.  a bark beetle, Hylurgopinus opaculus, of eastern North America, that also transmits Dutch elm disease.

---

Etymology

Origin of elm bark beetle

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elm bark beetle

But since the 1930s, Dutch elm disease, spread by a pest called the elm bark beetle, has wiped out more than 100 million of the leafy giants.

From Time Magazine Archive