Green Horizons

If you find "D-shaped" holes in your ash trees, contact your local MDC forester immediately.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has confirmed the presence of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in Kane County, west of Chicago. A homeowner discovered the beetle and alerted the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Illinois field office, which sent the bug to its lab in Romulus, MI for positive identification.

The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic-green beetle about the size of a penny. Its larvae burrow under the bark of ash trees, causing the trees to starve and eventually die. Since EAB was discovered in the Detroit Metro area in the summer of 2002, more than 20 million ash trees are dead or dying across southern Michigan, northern Ohio and northeastern Indiana.

Missouri residents need to be aware that EAB can enter the state on infected nursery stock and firewood brought in from out of state (See related story). The Missouri Departments of Agriculture and Conservation will be monitoring high-risk sites (campgrounds, new commercial/ residential developments) in July and August.

The best telltale sign of an EAB attack is the characteristic "D-shaped" hole found on the bark. If you suspect that your ash trees might be infected, contact your local MDC forester or your county MU Extension office.