Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an exotic beetle discovered near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage, causing little damage, but the larvae (immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. Emerald ash borer probably arrived on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in Asia. Emerald ash borer is also established in Windsor, Ontario, was found in Ohio in 2003, northern Indiana in 2004, northern Illinois and Maryland in 2006, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia in 2007. Since its discovery, EAB has killed more than 30 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio and Indiana. In response, regulatory agencies and the USDA have enforced quarantines in Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. (The information above is from the official website by the USDA, state agencies, and universities.)
I bring this info to you, having just passed the survey tree on my bike ride (just a couple miles down the Millennium Trail from my house.) Note the purple box high in this photo below:
Lower on the tree is info about the box and the survey. 750 such sticky traps have been placed in the Chicago area, baited with Manuka oil which is an attractant to adult EABs.
Infected trees have been found in these suburban Chicago areas (click on photos to enlarge):
As always, Wikipedia has info on this destructive critter.
Jiminy Christmas, Chuck! 30 million?!? Tens of millions more?!? Sure hope you guys can get them under control in your area! Kind of reminds me of how much I liked to peel bark off of birch trees when I was a kid. Then I learned that I was damaging the tree.
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