The beetles are coming to Ohio

CUMBERLAND, Ohio (AP) — It’s time to meet the beetles at a wildlife conservation center in southeast Ohio.

American burying beetles are being released today at the nearly 10,000-acre facility known as the Wilds. It’s part of an effort to re-establish the species in Ohio.

The Wilds says in a statement that the American burying beetle was once found in 35 states but in 1989 became the first insect listed as an endangered species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says on its website that the beetles are about 1 1/2 inches long and are shiny black with colorful orange-red markings. Biologists aren’t sure why they went into decline.

The federal agency, the state, Ohio State University and zoos in Cincinnati and St. Louis are working together to help the species recover.