Range of confirmed emerald ash borer in Minnesota. Source: Minnesota Department of Agriculture. |
Emerald ash borer, or EAB, has been confirmed in 25 counties
in Minnesota. The latest discoveries were in late summer 2020 in Carver and
Sibley Counties, southwest of the Twin Cities. All affected counties are shown in the map above, which is a snapshot of
an interactive map maintained by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. It
shows quarantined counties in pink, the quarantine boundary in red, and the
boundaries of generally infested areas in green. Click on the map or the link
in this paragraph to view the interactive version.
Movement of some types of wood out of the quarantine area is
regulated. Ash logs and lumber, ash tree waste, ash chips and mulch, and any
hardwood (deciduous) firewood should not be moved outside the quarantine area without
a Compliance Agreement with the MDA. The agreement requires that the wood be
treated in any of several ways to minimize the risk of EAB spread. To get an
agreement, call Arrest the Pest at 888-545-6684 or email arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us.
How to Detect EAB
EAB is a serious pest of all native ash trees. The insect, Agrilus
planipennis, overwinters as larveae or pupae in the bark or wood. Metallic,
green adults, just shorter than the width of a penny, emerge from the trees in
spring or early summer and later lay their eggs on ash trees. The larvae burrow
into the bark and feed on the inner bark and outer sapwood, tissues that
conduct water, nutrients and sugars throughout the tree. Infested trees die 1-3
years later.
During the growing season, one symptom of EAB infestation is
die-back of the canopy, starting at the crown and moving down. Some trees also
develop epicormic sprouts, branches that grow from the lower part of the trunk.
In fall and winter, look for woodpecker holes (the birds eat
EAB larvae), cracks in the bark and, under the bark, S-shaped galleries of EAB
larvae.
To determine if an ash tree might be infested with EAB, use the MDA’s “Does My Tree Have Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)?” If you then suspect an EAB infestation, call Arrest the Pest at 1-888-545-6684 or email arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us.
Help Find EAB
Emerald ashborer. Source:Leah Bauer, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Bugwood.org. |
The Wasp Watchers program ended in July 2020, but volunteers can still monitor wasp colonies for beetle prey and report their findings through iNaturalist. Wasps or nesting sites with EAB should also be reported to Arrest the Pest. These web pages offer more information:
What About Other States?
For information about EAB in neighboring states, visit these websites:
References and More Information
Haack, R. A., et al. Emerald Ash Borer Biology and Invasion
History. Chapter 1 in Biology and Control of Emerald Ash Borer. USDA,
March 2015. https://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/FHTET-2014-09_Biology_Control_EAB.pdf
Emerald Ash Borer
Program. Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Website accessed October 29,
2020.
Questions
& Answers About the EAB Quarantine & Compliance Agreements.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Website accessed October 29, 2020.
Photo Credits
Canopy dieback by Steven Katovich, Bugwood.org, licensed
under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
Epicormic sprouts by Pennsylvania Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources – Forestry, Bugwood.org, licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Woodpecker damage by Kenneth R. Law, USDA APHIS PPQ,
Bugwood.org, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
EAB galleries by Kelly Oten, North Carolina Forest Service,
Bugwood.org, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0
License.
Emerald ash borer by Leah Bauer, USDA Forest Service
Northern Research Station, Bugwood.org, licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License.