YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
Saturday May 26, 2012
What you need to know about emerald ash borer
Posted on May 14th, 2009 – 3:35 PMBy Connie Nelson
Yesterday, a very destructive tree pest was found in St. Paul. The tiny emerald ash borer could devastate millions of ash trees in Minnesota. Our state has about 900 million ash trees, the second highest number in the nation after Maine. Since its accidental introduction into North America, the insect has killed millions of ash trees in 10 eastern states. So, what can you do about it?
First, find out if you have ash trees in your yard. (There are for links in the posts below.)
If you have ash trees, have them examined by a certified arborist. (There’s a link to list of certified arborists below.)
There are treatments available for emerald ash borer, but tree care experts have been cautioning against treating trees unless there’s a confirmed case within 12 to 15 miles of where you live. Treatment is costly and must be reapplied every year. And the experts may be changing their recommendations now that emerald ash borer is in the state.
Check back here for updates and read on:
32 Responses to "What you need to know about emerald ash borer"
P.S. Earlier, tree care experts were recommending homeowners NOT treat their ash tress until an infestation was confirmed nearby. They may change that recommendation. Stay tuned.
Here’s the earlier recommendation(from September 2008):
News that the voracious beetle was discovered in Wisconsin has had some worried homeowners seeking a preventive treatment. But tree experts are saying “not so fast.” “We’re not going to offer treatment for emerald ash borer until it’s here,” said John Lloyd, director of research and science for Rainbow Treecare. “It’s throwing bad money after good.” Jeff Hahn, an entomologist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service, agreed. Hahn explained that experts from states
already infected with emerald ash borers advise that homeowners
wait until an infestation has been confirmed nearby (within 15
miles) to treat trees with an insectcide, which is costly and must
be applied annually. “When emerald ash borer gets here, we’ll have time to react,” said Hahn. “It (treatment) would be a waste of money right now.”
Zebra mussels, Asian beetles, the list goes on and on. Man has certainly devastated Mother Nature. Ouch.
Yeah, it sometimes seems like we’re set on doing oursevles in.
[…] Greengirls – […]
Can you recommend a good resource for what homeowners should be looking for in the hopes of detecting this in their trees sooner rather than later?
My ash tree is my single favourite aspect of my landscape — it makes me ill to think of losing it.
Sparklemotion,
Read on for descriptions of what ash borer damage looks like. I’ll most more as I find it:
The emerald ash borer, an Asian bug discovered in America in 2002, has infested at least 6 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and Ontario.Foresters fear that it will spread, eventually to the northern forests of Minnesota, which are rich in
ash.
The ash borer life cycle
.
Larva boring into wood
The larval stage is the most destructive phase of the ash borer’s
life cycle. It devastates the vessels that carry water and nutrients in the tree.
.
Tracks in the wood
Tunnels in the wood become wider as the larvae grow, reaching about 1/4-inch in late summer and fall.
.
Exit hole
The distinctive D-shaped exit hole is created when adult insects chew out of the tree.
.
Adult
Color: Dark metallic green Size: 0.3 to 0.6 inches long
Reproduction: Females lay 68 to 90 eggs, which hatch in about a
week.
.
Thanks Connie,
I also found this PDF: http://www.mda.state.mn.us/news/publications/pestsplants/pestmanagement/eab_doihaveit.pdf on the MN Dept of Ag website (more useful information here: http://www.mda.state.mn.us/plants/pestmanagement/eab.htm)
And in case you’re like me and don’t even know whether you have ash trees on your property or nearby, this ID guide might be helpful.
Thanks for the link, Robyn. That’s really helpful.
Great sites, Sparklemotion. Thanks for sharing.
This U of M site is also darn good.http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1242.html.
This bug sounds really bad. Here’s the bottomline: “Once an ash is attacked by EABs, it will be killed.”
This bug is hella bad. I am from Michigan and one of the counties that was ground 0 for this bug. I only go back about twice year and so I saw the devastation that they wrought in dramatic fashion. It’s the dutch elm disease of the 00s. Lots of developers chose to plant ashes in new neighborhoods because they grow relatively quickly and were an acceptable substitutes for elms. Oops.
The more recent popular tree has been the red maple. I wonder if someday something similar will happen to that tree as well? Is there a risk whenever a specific tree is overplanted?
Connie, correct me if I am wrong but doesn’t every tree have something, domestic or imported that can go wrong: Birch borers, dutch elm disease, oak iron clirosis, the list can go on. This is why the forestry division of Minneapolis (as well as others) will plant one block of a tree, say pin oak, then the next block will be something else, say mountain ash. This should keep the spread of disease from going through like wildfire. The fly in the ointment is the backyard species that may let something hop from one area to the next.
something has been defoliating my ash tree for the last few years to the point where entire branches end up bare. i’ve tried to treat it with tree insect killer stuff but am just not having any luck. i think this year i will be calling a tree service in to figure out what exactly is attacking my tree (and from the looks of it, a lot of my neighbors ash trees as well). i dont think its ash borer as there are no trails in the bark and whatnot. but i’ve seen too many different caterpillars and moths to know which on is pillaging my tree. any recommendations for choosing a reliable tree service?
Does this particular pest attack only the ash? Are other trees susceptible?
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/16/mosquito.laser.weapon/index.html
Don’t worry, technology will save our collective ash. I’m sure this can be modified to look for the adult flys, and can be used to protect an area or create a barrier.
It’ll probably one day be good enough to identify a host of noxious pests (mosquitoes, emerald ash borer, aphids, small children) and zap them. Your back yard will end up looking like the opening shots of Star Wars ep IV. 
MNmom, this borer seems to attack only true ash trees, not mountain ash (which has ash in its name but isn’t a true ash). The bad news is that while it attacks unhealthy or stressed trees first, it also attacks healthy trees.
Laura,
Be sure to call a certified arborist. You can check listings in the phone book. (Most arborists that are certified mention that in their ad.) The Minnesota Society of Arboricutlure also has a finder at
http://www.isa-arbor.com/findarborist/verifyarbbyloc.aspx
“The more recent popular tree has been the red maple. I wonder if someday something similar will happen to that tree as well? Is there a risk whenever a specific tree is overplanted?”
Yes. Diversity is good, monoculture is not so good.
There’s plenty of good to be said for diversity in limiting impacts of many pests/diseases/etc. However, in this case the pattern out East has been that EVERY untreated tree in an area dies within a few years. That happens to single spiecies stands, mixed stands and singletons alike. I suspect we’ll see the same thing here…
Kris, I’m hoping that we might be more effective in fighting EAB here. State and federal officials have known it was coming for a while and are supposed to have a plan in place.
It is a disappointment that it was likely spread thru firewood. Officials had been trying for years to get the word out about NOT transporting firewood.
I sure wish the city of Maple Grove wouldn’t have required everyone to plant ash trees in our newer development. Wouldn’t it make sense to have more diversity in the trees we plant? We’d be better off if they’d have let everyone plant the types of trees they wanted, then we’d have a nice mix.
[…] Greengirls – […]
“in this case the pattern out East has been that EVERY untreated tree in an area dies within a few years. That happens to single spiecies stands, mixed stands and singletons alike.”
True enough. The point I didn’t make clearly is that if you have mixed stands, you still have trees at the end, whereas if you only have ash trees, you end up with none.
Travis, having diversity is a great idea. But I know it can be difficult, time-consuming and costly for cities to maintain many different kinds of trees in one area or on one street. Different trees have differen requirements (ie when they need to be pruned, watered, etc). The city of Minneapolis has been diversifying by street, planting a block of lidens, a block of New American elms, a block of ash. But that’s fairly recent.
It is nearly impossible to have 100% enforcement of firewood transportation. There are also many people who do not understand the problem and will simply ignore the rule. I expect it to quickly spread throughout the state as people take wood with them to campsites and state parks. It is only a matter of time. The only possible hope I see is that they will not survive northern minnesota winters when it gets -30F or lower. Saying that they were “accidentally” released is stretching it. The companies importing goods from China that use wood pallets/boxes were well aware they could import insects to the US in the wood and refused to treat the wood because it “would cause a financial burden on THEM to perform that extra step”. People in this country should be hold those companies accountable. Why do we not see this information in any news article?
I have an ash tree in my yard that exhibits all these symptoms. It was in bad shape two years ago when I bought the place. My dog even tries to eat these odd little shiny green beatles. I guess I know what they are now. I am in S. Mpls. I was going to have it cut down but don’t have 400 bucks to do it so it just sits there righ tnext to my other ash trees which seem fine…for now.
Although there is no prevention, education might be your next best tool in dealing with ash borer. Visit http://www.extension.umn.edu/issues/eab/ for more information.
I understand this bug attacks all ash trees, including black ash, a very important wetland tree. We have a rare black ash seepage swamp at Minnehaha Falls Park. People need to be aware that this will profoundly affect important natural areas too, not just the cityscape (no doubt also very important).
Matt, how big are the beetles? Usually, the beetles themselves are difficult to find and catch, which is why detection is usually done through the D shaped exit holes and the tunnels in the bark. I would be surprised if you were seeing a large number of the actual beetles, but then again, every situation is different. No matter what, I would follow Connie’s advice and call a certified arborist very soon.
Connie,
I have been treating trees for this disease. I have done all of the possible research on this disease and what kills it. I have been told by the department of agriculture that I should not be treating ash trees unless they are within the quarentine area. While every chemical I have researched says that I should be pretreating. Who is to believe? Large chemical companies that have been doing research in copart with the university of Michigan or the MDA?
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