Emerald ash borer back to infest trees in the state – Grand Island Independent

Emerald ash borer has been confirmed again in Nebraska.

Confirmation doesnt necessarily mean treatments are in your near future. Find out what treatments entail and what makes trees good candidates for those treatments.

A quick review of what Emerald Ash Borer is and what it does:

Emerald ash borer is an invasive beetle that attacks and kills all species of ash (Fraxinus spp). It is a small, metallic-green beetle about 1/2 inch long. The larvae of this wood-boring insect tunnel under the bark of ash trees, disrupting the flow of water and nutrients, ultimately causing the tree to die.

EAB-infested ash trees will exhibit thinning or dying branches in the top of the tree, S-shaped larval galleries under bark, D-shaped exit holes and suckers or advantageous growth along the trunk and main branches. Trees can be preventively treated or removed prior to infection.

If treatments are selected, they need to be made at the right time, to the right tree, and the right proximity to your location. Once EAB has been confirmed within the 15-mile radius of your location, then you can begin the proper treatment applications on healthy trees.

Treatments are not always recommended for all trees; they must be good candidates for treatment. A tree that isnt a good candidate for treatment is one with a stem girdling root, a tree without a trunk flare, trunk damage or missing bark on the trunk, a tree with more than 50% canopy decline, trees with obvious signs of internal rot (holes with soft or squishy rotted wood) or trees with fungi growing directly out of the trunk (another sign of internal rot).

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Emerald ash borer back to infest trees in the state - Grand Island Independent