Released June 12, 2009
AMES, Iowa – A new publication on how to protect ash trees from Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) damage has just been released by Iowa State University Extension.
PM 2084, Emerald Ash Borer Management Options, offers recommendations for homeowners and for commercial pesticide applicators on products that can be used to protect healthy ash trees from attack by EAB. Mark Shour, an ISU Extension entomologist who is the lead author on the publication, said treatment is most effective before the adult stage finds the ash tree. EAB adults are active from May until August.
EAB has been identified in states adjoining Iowa, but there has not been a confirmed infestation within the state. A single larva from a campground near Elkader was identified earlier this month, but follow-up site investigations have not found any additional indications of an infestation, Shour said.
The invasion of EAB, an insect native to Asia, was first identified in Michigan in 2002 and most recently in Wisconsin and Minnesota. It attacks all species of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.), but is not harmful to other trees. Shour said preventive treatment is not recommended until the pest has been confirmed within 15 miles of the tree you are trying to protect.
The EAB Management Options publication offers several recommendations on preventive treatments but cautions that several factors must be considered before starting treatment. They include making sure the tree you want to protect is an ash tree, the only species affected by EAB. You should also evaluate the health of the tree and its value in your landscape.
Shour said insecticide treatments may not be effective in controlling EAB in your ash tree. Storm damage, other injuries to the tree, age of the tree, soil moisture, soil compaction, and other site and environmental factors influence the effectiveness of these products, and treatments must be applied every year. The most effective treatments involve introducing systemic insecticides into the tree’s circulatory system either through the roots with a soil treatment or directly through the trunk.
The only guaranteed method to control EAB is to remove the infested tree. A tree in an eradication area is subject to removal by government agencies even if preventive treatments were applied and/or signs of EAB infestation are absent.
Iowa State University Extension maintains a web site that offers several resources for dealing with EAB: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/pme/EmeraldAshBorer.html In addition to the EAB Management Options publication, the site includes an EAB identification card that can be used to help identify infested trees, a two page fact sheet on EAB prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, a list of web sites that contain information about EAB and a list of trees that should be considered instead of ash when installing new plantings.
Emerald Ash Borer Management Options, PM 2048, is available online from the ISU Extension Online Store at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/store/ListItems.aspx?Keyword=PM2084. Printed copies will be available from the Online Store and from ISU Extension county offices later this month.
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http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2009/jun/061201.htm
Sources Mark Shour, (515) 294-5963, mshour@iastate.edu
Laura Jesse, (515) 294-0581, ljesse@iastate.edu
Donald Lewis, (515) 294-1101, drlewis@iastate.edu
Editor: Del Marks, (515) 294-9807, delmarks@iastate.edu
