EMERALD ASH BORER: SMALL INSECT, BIG PROBLEM!

1. EMERALD ASH BORER: SMALL INSECT, BIG PROBLEM! Photo taken by Phil Nixon

2. WHAT IS THE EMERALD ASH BORER? THE EMERALD ASH BORER (EAB) IS A SHINY GREEN INSECT THAT MEASURES ABOUT ½” LONG. IT BELONGS TO A GROUP OF BORER BEETLES CALLED BUPRESTIDS – THEY ARE QUITE COMMON THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire

3. THE LIFE CYCLE OF EAB

4. Frass • The adult female lays eggs in the crevices of the ash tree bark. Newly hatched larvae bore through the bark and feed on the tree’s vascular tissue. • As they grow, larvae zigzag through tree tissue, leaving S-shaped tunnels that are flat and wide and filled with frass (excrement). Bark Cambial tissue

5. Larvae (August to April) • Larvae are creamy white with flat, broad shaped bodies and bell-shaped body segments. • Mature larvae are about 1 inch long.

6. Pupae (April To Early May) • When warmer weather arrives, larvae begin to pupate. • Newly formed adults remain under the bark for 8 to 15 days as their outer “shells” harden.

7. Adults (May Through September) Adults emerge from the tree through “D” shaped exit holes.

8. WHY IS THIS SMALL INSECT SUCH A BIG PROBLEM?

9. Range of ash in North America

10. Because…. there are ~150 million ash trees in Indiana forests.

11. And… there are at least 1.5 million ash trees in urban areas in Indiana.

12. ALL native North American ash trees are vulnerable to EAB. Blue ash Black ash White ash Green ash

13. Once an ash tree is heavily infested with EAB, it will die within 1 to 3 years.

14. WHERE DID EAB COME FROM?

15. HOW DID EAB ARRIVE IN NORTH AMERICA? EAB arrived in solid wood packing materials.

16. Wood packing material harbors bark- and wood-boring insects because they often: • Are manufactured from recently cut trees. • Are not treated with heat or chemicals. • Contain bark.

17. Once invasive wood borers make it to US ports, they have no trouble finding transportation to new areas.

18. WHEN DID EAB ARRIVE IN NORTH AMERICA? EAB was first identified in the Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario areas in June of 2002, but it probably arrived in North America in the early 1990s.

19. WHY IS EAB A BIGGER PROBLEM IN NORTH AMERICA THAN IN ASIA? In Asia, EAB has co-evolved with Asian ash trees. There are natural enemies and pathogens that keep EAB levels low. It is Considered a SECONDARY pest.

20. In North America, EAB has NOT co-evolved with North American ash so there are no natural enemies and pathogens to keep populations of EAB in check. It is called a PRIMARY pest.

21. How EAB Spreads • Natural spread of EAB is local (1/4 to 1/2 mile per year). • Artificial or human-assisted spread moves the beetle much farther and faster in a less predictable manner.

22. EAB larvae is often moved in: • ash firewood. • raw ash wood with bark. • dunnage and crating for heavy goods made from ash. • ash nursery stock. • ash lumber and wood with bark attached.

23. PLEASE DO YOUR PART TO ARREST THAT PEST! DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD!