Emerald Ash Borer Has Arrived

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Imidicloprid isn't cheap for one, so it would only be applied to high value residential trees. Another thing is it's not very effective for controlling EAB. It may be strong enough in areas where the populations of EAB are still fairly low, and it may have a deterrent effect, but once the insect populations get real high, they will chew up a treated tree in spite of imidicloprid.
Once populations get high, you need to do trunk sprays of insecticides every couple weeks, timed to the period when the adults are crawling around laying eggs. $$$

 

[treeseer]

Imidicloprid isn't very effective for controlling EAB.

Mike where are you getting this info? at the ISA conference the academics from MSU were admitting that effectiveness rate is 90-95%.. They were also saying that they would not recommend it cuz it was <100% ?!?!?!?!?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Have a look at this site: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/files/bulletin.pdf

 

[treeseer]

Mike that research is well over 3 years old. Lots has been done and published since then.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I don't see anything in the study that time would refute.
The EAB are no more sensitve to Imidicloprid than they were 3 years ago.

 

[suaf]

I am assuming that Mike is correct. If it were truly effective, I can't imagine that price would be that big an issue considering towns like mine have about 20% of the parkway tree population being Green Ash. It can't be more expensive than: cutting down and disposal of infected trees, mass plantings of new trees and the overall lowered value of the entire village due to the major change in aesthetics. So if it Imidicloprid was truly usefulm why would villages like mine (who are well aware of the EAB) not be using it. We have had mentions on the news, local paper and mailers for the local arboretum and everything states that there is no known way to control EAB...except to cut down infested trees in order to help keep it from spreading. I figure, my neighborhood green ash have a few years left at best before one is infected and they are all cut down as a preventitive. The ONLY positive to that would be that may be the village would start replanting with oaks (my favorites). Still, I'd rather keep our huge ash if I had the choice.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I'd rather keep our huge ash if I had the choice.

I would recommend starting an annual soil treatment of Imidicloprid now, and when EAB populations increase in your neighborhood, add the trunk sprays to your treatment protocol.

 

[suaf]

It's not worth it because the main source of control is to quarantine an area and cut 'em down to control spreading. My Ash tree is on village property in front of my house. So I am not legally supposed to do anything to/with it. Secondly, if EAB does spread here, regardless of it being my tree or a neighbors, I am assuming tey'll cut mine down regardless...so I'm not sure I see a point in the procedures unless every single tree down the parkway had the same procedure. Make sense? I think I'm screwed basically

 

[hobby climber]

Don't mean to be a wet blanket but I think you guys are beating your heads against the wall here. By the time you realize that the tree is infected with EAB, it's to late! They will land, bore, reproduce, kill the tree without being detected. It's only after they exit that you'll know they were there...NOT before!!!

I live in an effected area (Southern Ontario along the Detroit River), and can tell you that nothing has worked so far. The government has gone to the expense of removing all ash trees within a 2mile wide strip from Lake Erie to Lake St.Clair. This was done to slow their migration so the gov could figure out what to do. So far they've come up with nothing and if they had...it would be years before it gets approved here in Canada!

My advice...harvest the trunk for beams & boards and cut the rest into fire wood. Sorry. HC

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Hobby, that's exactly why I recommend starting treatments on high value trees now, before they're here.

 

[suaf]

So Mike, you think preventitive maintenance will actually keep EAb from killing the trees should they land in my neighborhood. If so, any suggestions on how to get my village board to take this action? They'll need some solid evidence that the expense is worth it. Thanks!

 

[hobby climber]

Better it be started before the infestation of EAB. If you start treatment after the trees been infected,... the trees already stressed and the treatment may likely stress it further! Mike makes a good point. HC

 

[suaf]

That's what I am saying too. None of the trees in my area have been infested yet - so I am looking for advice on how to convince Village officials with definitive evidence that there is a preventitive program that works so they can implement it before EAB does reach my area. I am in a Chicago suburb and EAB has been spotted as close as about 5 miles away at this point but none in my village. Can anyone provide links, articles etc. that I can forward to village officials that shows a program worthy of investing in to prevent an EAB crisis before it gets here?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

So Mike, you think preventitive maintenance will actually keep EAb from killing the trees should they land in my neighborhood. If so, any suggestions on how to get my village board to take this action? They'll need some solid evidence that the expense is worth it. Thanks!

That's what I'm recommending to my customers. I'm in SE Wisconsin and will begin treatments this fall, soon. The Imidicloprid will be pretty well moved into the trees by spring. We should be seeing the little critters around here soon.
Chicago must have a terrific forestry department, and the Illinois DNR must have a plan in place to deal with the outbreaks.
I think most of the private tree services I've talked to are against he clear cutting of Ash around new outbreaks, and hopefully the WI DNR won't use that tactic. EABs are coming, I don't see that changing.
There's no way to treat all the Ash, so I think we need to use the same protocol we use with American Elm and Dutch Elm Disease, that is, chemically treat high value trees and remove the rest as they go.

 

[mpatch]

I can recall 2 jobs that I was on last summer where large numbers of Ash were dead or darn near and I could figure out why. (prior to my knowledge of EAB) I live in NE WI. From my experience Ash around here are pretty tough trees and that's what had me perplexed, all the other trees were perfectly heathly. So maybe EAB is in WI already. Unless there is something that kills only Ash??

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Ash like it wet, so consecutive years of drought can be very hard on them. There is also a disease called Ash Yellows that can really tear them up and cause symptoms similar to EAB.

 

[geofore]

Search function use

use the search function and type in ash.

 

[ray benson]

Map shows EAB infestation. None in WI.
http://www.emeraldashborer.info/files/TriState_EABpos.pdf

 

[Doctor Dave]

I am in the core area of Michigan that is loosing trees by the thousands everyday. I still have 3 green ash on my property that are prized shade trees for me. My neighbors have all pretty much lost their ash. Mine are still living. A little thin this year but still relativley healthy. I have treated mine with the Bayer trunkwash product and am a beliver. I do not sell it to my customers but I do tell them of my sucess.

Another option is microinjection pesticide. The Mauget company might have something. Interesting (and long and detailed) report on this and other treatments:

http://www.emeraldashborer.info/fil...lsFinal.pdf#search="Mauget emerald ash borer"

 

[MarsCrash]

Injection or soil drench now!

I'm in the heart of the devastated EAB Detroit area, and we've taken down more ash trees than I can count. Our area is full of crispy ash trees, and I've only seen a few worth saving.

One tree that looks great has been treated with imidicloprid trunk injections since 2002. I'm leaning toward soil drenches for small diameter trees, because I think that even the Wedgle is invasive and could cause trunk damage.

One symptom I don't see mentioned very often is the small pieces of bark that pop off, leaving little tan areas on a normally dark trunk. I don't know if it's caused by the movement of the larva under the bark or the swelling of the cambium as the tree tries to heal itself. All I know is that it's easier to spot than the D-shaped exit holes on deeply furrowed ash bark. Green ashes are hit much harder than white ashes from what I've seen.

If you're in an area where the EAB is moving in, start treating now. If you wait for the canopies to thin, it's all over but the chippin'.