EMERALD ASH BORER

The notorious Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a jewel beetle native to north-eastern Asia that feeds on Ash trees. Its first sighting in the US was in Michigan back in 2002. Arborists have since found them in many other states, including Colorado. They infest all species of Ash trees in North America. EAB’s are responsible for the tragic destruction of tens of millions of Ash trees in 30 states. The EAB can only travel about 5 miles per year, however they can cover vast distances in short periods of time via infested firewood. 

A brief biology :

Commonly mistaken for the Tiger beetle because of their brilliant metallic green coloring but has its distinct differences. Tiger beetles are identified as having long antennae and a waist-like section in the middle of its body. Whereas EAB are bullet shaped with a round head to bore through trees.

EAB have 4 life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. They have a life cycle of about one to two years.

Now let’s talk about the damage, symptoms and signs:

Signs of EAB include: branch dieback, excessive epicormic branching, bark slits and woodpecker damage. D shaped exit holes and S shaped tunnel trails indicate there presence and are dead giveaways of EAB presence. Sometimes an EAB infestation can go undetected for up to three years. Which is arguably the hardest part in proper diagnosis.

As you may have heard, EAB are spreading around Colorado and arborists are predicting danger for our Ash trees.

“The reason it’s a big problem is that it’s an introduced pest. It doesn’t have any natural predators here, but overseas it might be kept in check and there are not as many Ash trees. But for us, Ash has been heavily planted for the last 40 years so they’re everywhere. So you have a high food source, nothing to really slow it down and it’s just a bad combination for a bug to just run wild and go crazy,” said Michael Sundberg, The Davey Tree Expert Company in his interview for CBS news. 

What can we do about Emerald Ash Borer?

Our trained Plant Health Care (PHC) professionals are here to help! We offer multiple treatment plans and services, and our team is on high alert this season as pressure is rising. 

Trunk Injections – 3 year residual 

Soil Injections – 1 year residual (annual application)

Trunk Sprays – 1 year residual (annual application)

Use the link below to request an estimate or give our office a call.