Emerald Ash Borer Found in Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2006

A non-native, destructive pest that feeds on ash trees has been found in northern Illinois. The Illinois Department of Agriculture announced on June 13, 2006, that the beetle was positively identified as an emerald ash borer (EAB) in Kane County.

EAB had been confirmed in the Midwest in the summer of 2002; and since then, more than 20 million ash trees are dead or dying. The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, attacks and kills healthy ash trees. It is a small, metallic-green beetle whose larvae burrow into the bark of ash trees, causing the trees to starve and eventually die. It is closely related to the bronze birch borer, so its damage, appearance, exit holes and biology are similar–except that EAB attacks healthy ashes rather than birches. Its native range includes China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, the Russian Far East and Taiwan. In the United States, it was first identified in the Detroit, Mich., area in July 2002. Since then, it has also been found in other areas of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland and also in Toronto, Canada.

Local, state and federal agencies have been preparing for EAB to be found in Illinois. Now that it has, the response plan will be put into action in order to begin the task of eradicating EAB. The first step is to conduct an extensive survey of ash trees in the Kane county subdivision to determine the extent of the damage. This will establish boundaries for a quarantine that will stop the movement of potentially contaminated wood and nursery products out of the area and will prevent the spread of EAB. Inspectors suspect EAB may have been transported here in contaminated firewood from a quarantined area in Michigan. The emerald ash borer typically moves only short distances by flying, but moves long distances on ash nursery stock, ash logs, branches and firewood. To avoid the accidental introduction of the beetle to new areas, people are advised to purchase only locally-grown nursery stock and locally cut-firewood.

"Local citizens can be of great assistance in scouting for this pest," says Martha Smith, University of Illinois Extension educator. "An alert homeowner discovered the beetle and contacted the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's field office. From there, it was positively identified. Anyone who suspects a tree has EAB is urged to contact their local county Extension office," says Smith. The Illinois Department of Agriculture also will offer a toll-free hotline at 800-641-3934 for Extension-confirmed infestations.

Signs of infestation include the presence of metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or around ash trees, thinning and yellowing leaves, D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches and shoots growing from the base. Options for treating infested trees are limited. In most instances, they must be removed.

Source: Martha A. Smith, Extension Educator, Horticulture, smithma@uiuc.edu