Emerald ash borer tree infestation treatments
Over 20% of Minnesota counties are infested with Emerald Ash Borer, or EAB, as of 2019*. This invasive insect attacks and kills ash trees. So far, Minnesota has been lucky, as the spread of EAB has been noted as spreading more slowly across our state versus others, however no other state has more ash trees that here in MN!
These pests, if left untreated, will kill your tree. However, preventative treatments are easy measures one can take to save their ash trees. Even if your tree is already infested, a treatment can help minimize and slow the spread. Let us all do our part to save Minnesota’s Elm tree population and our properties trees!
*According to the 2019 Minnesota State Agency Emerald Ash Borer Report by the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board and the Emerald Ash Borer Interagency Team
What Are the Risks of Emerald Ash Borer?
By late May the adult Emerald Ash Borers begin to emerge and start wreaking havoc. The females lay larvae in the tree and as they hatch they begin to consume the bark leaving visible tracks. This disrupts the tree’s flow of water and nutrients causing the tree to suffer and eventually die. Some signs to watch out for are:
- Grooves or S-shaped paths in the bark and inner tissue of the tree
- Thinning canopy of leaves
- D-shaped exit holes, usually about 1/8 of an inch in diameter
- Woodpecker activity and pecks as they try to eat the larvae
- Death of the tree