#emeraldashborer #lilacashborer #ashtrees

Both the Emerald Ash Borer and the Lilac Ash Borer are extremely damaging pests, but they need different treatments if you are going to effectively control them!

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The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) arrived in the U.S. from Asia several years ago and has seriously damaged the ash forests and urban canopies since that time. It began in the Northeast portion of the U.S. and has now reached as far west as Colorado.

The risk is significant, as about 6% of the U.S. forests are ash. In some cities, ash trees account for up to 60% of the urban tree canopy.

Young, damaged, stressed, or quick-growing ash trees are especially susceptible to these types of borers, and irreversible damage can occur in just a few seasons. Once a tree is infested, it tends to be visited again and again by egg-laying moths, which lay eggs that develop larvae that do damage to the phloem of the tree. Not pretty.

For those that have ash trees in their yardscapes that are at risk to EAB, systemic pesticides that contain imidacloprid are a common and effective approach - but this will not work for Lilac Ash Borer, which will infest ash, lilac, and privet.

For a time, we treated our ash trees that were being damaged with imidacloprid - but to no avail. I thought our trees were being infested with EAB. They were not - we had lilac ash borer infestations. Since that time, I’ve been able to control these pests by spraying our trees in early spring with Sevin (carbaryl) or Permethrin solutions to control the LAB moths (which look somewhat like a wasp).

Bottom line? If you have ash trees, you need to actively protect them from these pests. Depending on where you live, you will be able to determine whether you have EAB or LAB problems. The EAB is easy to spot - the beetle’s emerald green color is a clear identifier. For those not familiar with LAB, it’s easy to misidentify because of the adult’s wasp-like appearance.

Here are some great resources for more information on the range, diagnosis, and treatment of both EAB and LAB:

http://bit.ly/LilacAshBorer-USU

http://bit.ly/BeASmartAshEABTreatments

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/maps...

Unfortunately, because of these pests, having ash trees on your property is an ongoing commitment to their health. We think they are worth the effort.



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