Emerald Ash Borer

If your trees are infested with the emerald ash borer, they likely will have to be removed in order to cut down the spread of this pest. If caught early on, there may be time to treat with pesticides; however we do not do pesticide treatments. Trees are rapidly killed by this pest so it is best to remove as early as possible in the infestation – this is the time of the year to act! Call us now.

The emerald ash borer is an insect that infests ash trees and kills them within a few years. Arborists across Ohio expect the emerald ash borer to remain endemic to Ohio for many years. The environmental, social, and economic impact this beetle is having on our state’s rural and urban forests is staggering.

The adult emerald ash borer has the following unique characteristics:

• Its coloring is a bright, metallic green

• It has a ½” long, flattened back

• It has purple abdominal segments beneath its wing covers

Since the beetle is difficult to spot, you can look for these signs of infestation:

• Canopy dieback: The canopy begins dying at the top of the tree and progresses throughout the year until the tree is bare.

• Epicormic shoots: Sprouts grow from the roots and trunk.

• Bark splitting: Vertical bark splits expose S-shaped galleries beneath the bark.

• S-shaped galleries and D-shaped exit holes: Galleries under the bark reveal the back and forth feeding pattern of the larvae. Adults emerge from D-shaped exit holes, typically 1/8th in diameter.

• Increasing woodpecker activity and/or damage: Several woodpecker species forage for the beetle, creating large holes when extracting larvae.

Research has shown that insecticides can protect trees from the pest, but success is not always assured. If a tree has lost more than 50 percent of its canopy, it is probably too late to save the tree. Studies have shown that it is best to begin using insecticides while trees are still relatively healthy. In some cases, tree removal may be more cost-effective.

Adult beetles are most active during the summer and early fall. The adult causes little damage to the trees, only eating leaves. It is the larvae that are destructive to the tree. They burrow through the trees, damaging the flow of water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the tree. If enough of the tree is infected, it will die.

The emerald ash borer primarily damages and kills green, white, blue, and black ash trees. There are certain pesticide treatments for individual trees if caught early enough. There are also treatments that are aerially dispersed large scale on a county and state basis. However, we treat the emerald ash borer one way – trees are felled and the wood disposed of through approved means.

Do not transport firewood. The beetle can easily be transported in ash logs. Make sure to purchase firewood locally from a known source and be sure to use all of the firewood in the cold months so that no hidden larvae or adults can survive on logs left through the spring.

If you think this pest has infected your beautiful trees, call us immediately. We will determine whether your trees will have to be removed.

We offer removal of trees infested with emerald ash borer in Columbus, Dublin, Newark, Gahanna, Westerville, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington and Clintonville.