Learn About Invasive Forest Pests at "Emerald Ash Borer University"

Those seeking to learn more about the emerald ash borer now have a great new resource available. "Emerald Ash Borer University" is a collaborative effort by the U.S. Forest Service, Michigan State University, Ohio State University and Purdue University. The website offers free webinars with topics from the latest research on EAB to the most effective ways to get the word out about this pest. Past webinars are archived so you can always go back and view any information you might have missed

The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, “EAB”), native to Asia, was first discovered in the U.S. in Michigan in 2002. Since then, it has been found in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, and was most recently discovered this past June in New York. EAB causes damage to ash trees by disrupting water and nutrient transport as the larvae feed on the inner bark; eventually, this damage kills the tree. The pest attacks all species of ash, including green, white, black and blue ash, and is considered a serious threat to nursery operators, forest products industries, and parklands.

Help protect Massachusetts ash trees: If you think you have seen EAB, submit a report and photos, or call our Pest Hotline at 617-626-1779. Any specimens you capture should be placed in a jar and kept in the freezer.

Emerald Ash Borer found in NY

The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, "EAB") has found for the first time in Western New York. The invasive, wood-boring beetle was discovered earlier this week when USDA employees noticed suspicious damage to ash trees off of a highway in the town of Randolph, located in Cattaraugus County. So far, about 30 trees have been flagged as infested. Surveys over the coming weeks will help determine the extent of the infestation.

To prevent the spread of EAB to other parts of the state, New York is asking its residents to avoid bringing firewood to campgrounds or parks, and to instead purchase firewood from local vendors with proof of that firewood source. Also, New York is one of several states that now ban untreated firewood from entering their state. For more information about the dangers of moving firewood and other untreated wood long distances, visit http://dontmovefirewood.org/

Buy Local, Burn Local

The Asian longhorned beetle, along with other wood-boring insects such as the emerald ash borer and the Sirex woodwasp, live the first part of their lives as white, worm-like larvae burrowed into the branches and trunks of trees. Because these larvae typically remain hidden until adulthood, when you transport firewood or cut branches you could be unknowingly transporting these invasive species with you.

This is one of the main reasons behind the order issued by the state to regulate the movement of wood products and live plants from the Asian longhorned beetle Regulated Area (Worcester and parts of Boylston, Holden, Shrewsbury and West Boylston). Since the infestation was first announced, Massachusetts has been working together with local and federal agencies to keep everyone informed. This includes compliance training for any business impacted by these regulations (from tree removal services to landscapers to firewood dealers), so that they can continue to do business while the eradication program gets underway.

The public remains our biggest and best weapon in the battle against the Asian longhorned beetle. Please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with this wood-boring invader using our fact sheet and photo gallery. And if you see something suspicious, in your firewood or elsewhere, you can use our online reporting system to describe the damage and upload photos. You can also call the Massachusetts ALB Eradication Program hotline at 1-866-702-9938.

Biocontrol released in Michigan for emerald ash borer

Researchers from the USDA have added another tool to the arsenal against the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, "EAB"). As reported in this article from E: The Environmental Magazine, three different wasp predators, all natural enemies of the EAB, are currently being reared and released into the wild to fight the tiny green invasive beetle. The release sites are all in Michigan, where ash trees have been under attack since the late 1990s.

The emerald ash borer has never been found in New England, but state agencies in Massachusetts remain on the lookout for this pest. To learn more about it, check out our EAB pest fact sheet. You can learn more about this and other pests of the Great Lakes region by visiting the Illinois CAPS blog.

Emerald Ash Borer Sightings

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been two new sightings of the emerald ash borer beetle (Agrilus planipennis, "EAB") in the USA and Canada, including Quebec (a first for the province) and Mercer County, Pennsylvania (the fifth county in PA since the beetle was first found there in 2007).

The end of June is considered "peak emergence" time for the species, when adults are most likely to emerge from underneath the ash bark they spend the beginning part of their lives burrowing in. With many states and Canadian provinces actively trapping for the EAB, there may be further reports of the presence of this invasive species throughout the summer. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation monitors emerald ash borer traps placed throughout our state, which remains EAB-free.

(Photo of EAB courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Forestry Archive, Bugwood.org)

All About the Emerald Ash Borer

Michigan State University has produced a very informative video about the history and control of the emerald ash borer beetle (Agrilus planipennis, or "EAB"). It features Dave Roberts, the biologist who first identified the EAB in Michigan back in 2002. The movie runs about 24 minutes and is divided into nine sections, including general information about the EAB, components of the federal eradication program, and a number of different case studies.

Massachusetts and other New England states remain on the lookout for EAB. While it has not been detected in our part of the USA, it is good to know that Michigan is documenting their experiences with this ash-destroying invasive species.

New pesticide shows promise in fighting EAB

While we don't have the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, "EAB") here in Massachusetts, other states are not so lucky. Now there may finally be some good news about beating this pest. As reported over at the Illinois Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey Program blog, Illinois has just registered a promising new pesticide, Emamectin Benzoate, for use against the beetle. Sold under the trade name Tree-äge™ (pronounced "triage"), EB is a systemic insecticide, and is applied as a trunk injection at the base of ash trees.

State agencies in Massachusetts remain on the lookout for the emerald ash borer. To learn more about this wood-boring invader, check out our pest fact sheet.

Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts

Tuesday and Thursday of this week the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts held its annual Speaker's Program Workshop. I participated on both days and it was a wonderful opportunity to meet folks from garden clubs across the state (and to meet all the other speakers as well!), speak to them about this project, and encourage them to sign up for our Pest Alert email list.


The presentation was set up to have multiple panels that can be swapped out depending on the interests of the audience, with two pests per panel, plus the project logo and URL and two smaller panels describing the project in general. For the garden clubs, I featured:

• Asian longhorned beetle and the Emerald ash borer
  
• Viburnum leaf beetle and Daylily rust
  
• Giant hogweed and Mile-a-minute vine

It took quite a bit of work (and help from kind coworkers) to produce those posters, but they'll be getting a lot of use this year, I am sure.