Emerald Ash Borer
What you should know...
EMERALD ASH BORER
Brought from Asia, the pest known as Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is invasive and threatening millions of Ash trees across the United States. Since its discovery in 2002, it is responsible for killing over a million Ash trees.
Some Quick EAB facts
- Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive insect imported from Asia.
- EAB first arrived to Michigan in the late 1900's.
- EAB is now widespread, found throughout the range of Ash trees.
- All Ash (Fraxinus spp) in North America are susceptible to the insect, including trees in good health.
- Treatments are available and have proven up to 99.9% effective but you must act quickly and before EAB has found your trees.
Protecting the Herd
Managing emerald ash borer at the community-level is not about saving every tree. Trees in natural areas and difficult-to-access areas may be challenging to treat, but many would be even more challenging to remove. A boulevard may have a dozen mature ash while a few acres of community forest may have hundreds of mature trees that would present a more costly and involved management process. However, experience from EAB-infested communities has shown that protecting the high value and easy-access trees has a positive effect on the entire local ash population by reducing the number of insects likely to spread to additional trees. Research has shown that even treating as few as 20% of the ash trees can significantly reduce the overall expected death rate of untreated ash trees (McCullough et al., 2012). Even small efforts will have an impact.
Credit: Rainbow Eco Science
Mectinite...an extremely effective solution
Mectinite treatments are dosed based upon the diameter of the tree at breast height. Each tree is individually measured.
Small holes are drilled at the root flare of the tree. Tees are inserted and the system is pressurized to move the treatment into the tree.
Photos: Rainbow EcoScience
Each tree takes about 5-10 minutes to set up, and just a few minutes to move into the tree. Mectinite treatments protect the tree for at least 2 seasons.