Specification

Protect your trees from
Emerald Ash Borer
Emerald Ash Borer
Healthy ash trees can add character to a neighborhood,
provide shelter to birds, prevent erosion and, when
planted in just the right spot, help reduce the cost of
heating and cooling your home. Ash trees are also used to
make baseball bats, office furniture, tool handles, electric
guitars and even drums. But these trees are under attack.
The culprit? The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) – an insect
that’s destroyed 40 million ash trees in Michigan alone and
tens of millions throughout other states and Canada.
What It Looks Like
This bright metallic-green insect can be smaller than a
dime but is capable of taking down trees hundreds of
times its size. Adults are typically 1/2 inch long and 1/8
inch wide. Eggs are extremely small – approximately
1/25 of an inch – and are reddish-brown in color. Larvae
are white, flat-headed borers, or grubs, with distinct
segmentation.
The Threat It Poses
Adults emerge in mid- to late-May, earlier if the weather
is warm, with females laying their eggs shortly after. The
larvae bore into the ash tree and feed under the bark,
leaving tracks visible underneath the bark. The feeding
disrupts the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients,
resulting in dieback and bark splitting. Small trees can
die in as quickly as one to two years, while larger infested
trees may die in three to four years. Emerging adults
create D-shaped emergence holes in the tree.
The negative effects of EAB infestation don’t end with the
death of the tree. Often, tree services must be hired to
remove the dead tree, which can cost hundreds and even
thousands of dollars.
Image 5449380: Debbie Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
Image 1460032: James W. Smith, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org