A tiny invasive flying beetle that's killed hundreds of millions of trees has been found in Colorado

A Colorado city is fighting to save tens of thousands of its trees from a "devastating" death. But it's not deforestation or wildfires they are up against this time – it's a tiny half-inch-long bug. 

The city of Littleton, located just south of Denver, has been infiltrated by an Emerald Ash Borer, an exotic beetle that the city describes as a "pint-size insect" that "can cause king-size problems for ash trees." These beetles are known for killing ash trees, which make up about 15% of all the city's trees, about 45,000 trees.

Michael Sundberg, district manager for The Davey Tree Expert Company, told CBS Colorado that in Littleton, the pest could destroy "one in five trees" if preventative measures aren't taken.