How to Control EAB Infestation to Protect Ash Trees?
What is EAB?
EAB is commonly known as Emerald Ash Borers which originated from northeast Asia and feed on ashes. These insects are the family of beetles and are also called jewel beetle and green buprestid. These are the bright metallic green-colored beetles that can grow up to ½ inch long and 1/8 inch wide, though they are small they can take down the ash trees thousands of times their size.
The female beetles will lay eggs on the crevices of ash trees and the larvae will feed on the bark of ash trees to grow up in or 2 years. They will cause less damage to their native tree but are highly dangerous to other ash trees in the area. In this article, we are going to discuss, how to control EAB infestation to protect ash trees.
Signs of EAB Infestation
Adult EABs usually emerge in late May but they can emerge earlier when the climate is warm. Females will lay eggs inside the ash tree with the D-shaped exit hole. The larvae will feed on the bark, and they will take all the water and nutrients of a tree. A small tree can be dead in one or two years and a larger tree can withstand the infestation for up to 4 years. Below listed are some of the common signs of the EAB infestation,
- Dying of tree crowns
- Suckers at the base of the tree
- Splitting bark
- Tunnel under the bark
- D-shaped exit holes
- Increased woodpecker activity
How to Control EAB Infestation to Protect Ash Trees?
- Make use of Imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide that is applied to the base of soil which helps to prevent the EAB and other wood-boring insect infestations.
- Do not move your firewood from the property and burn all the old firewood before spring.
- Cut Down the infested trees to protect other trees.
- Make use of pest control sprays with traditional broad-spectrum insecticides.
- Hire a tree surgeon to maintain your ash trees properly
- Make use of stem injection which is helpful to prevent the attraction of pests and insects. Make sure the injection contains the active ingredient called emamectin benzoate.
If you find the signs of EAB infestation, then it is important to hire a tree surgeon and a professional pest control service. Try to take pictures of your trees that help experts to identify the level of infestation and they can conduct a proper control treatment to end the pest infestation.
Conclusion
The above listed are some of the common practices on how to control EAB infestation to protect ash trees. These EABs are hard to remove so you should hire a professional pest control service and leave the control treatment process to the experts.
As a gardener, it is your responsibility to maintain and protect trees from damage, so you can hire a tree surgeon for effective methods to protect your trees from pest damage. Hiring the experts will not cost more than the cost required to repair the damages caused by insects.