Emerald Ash Borer

The Emerald Ash Borer’s Illinois Invasion

Aug 272011

Emerald Tree Care LLC’s Illinois Ash Borer Treatment Program was launched in 2008 after our successful Ohio and Michigan programs were already underway starting in 2002. Our decision to come to Illinois was a direct response to the 2006 discovery of the non-native pest in Kane County, one of the counties on the outskirts of Chicago.

Now in our fourth year of treating in the Illinois area, the Emerald Ash Borer’s presence has grown from only three cities that had confirmed the insect’s presence to over 150 cities confirmed. To be honest, I suspect nearly 200 cities will have confirmed the insect by year’s end. An interesting fact: it is impossible to confirm this insect in a tree until it has been in it for 2-3 years. In most of these confirmed locations in Illinois, it has been determined that the Emerald Ash Borer has most likely been there for 3-4 years.

If you follow my train of thought, then the REAL map of where this insect was four years ago looks very much like the “confirmed” map we know of today! And where this insect is today won’t show up on any map for another 3-4 years. More than likely, at this very moment, the Emerald Ash Borer is probably present in nearly every community in every county in Illinois. We just haven’t found it yet!

DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE!

If the Emerald Ash Borer has been confirmed within 15 miles of your home, then you need to start considering a professional treatment program. Wayne A. White, Board Certified Master Arborist of Emerald Tree Care, LLC, has treated more ash trees since 2002 than anyone else. As a result, I have more ash trees alive today than any other arborist in America!

SAVE YOUR ASH!

Contact Emerald Tree Care, LLC today for your free ash tree inspection and recommendation.

Fighting Back in Michigan With Our Emerald Ash Borer Treatment

Ash Borer No Responses »

Aug 112011

The Emerald Ash Borer began its devastating spread in the Michigan area with its introduction into the state probably as early as the late 1990s. Because it’s population grew unabated and unnoticed for 7-10 years, it has proven difficult to control for many wishing to save their ash trees. The beetle, found natively in Asia, is an invasive species thought to have been brought over in wood shipments through the Great Lakes. As the Emerald Ash Borer has few natural predators in its new environment, its population has flourished.

The Emerald Ash Borer adults begin to emerge in late May and continue throughout July. Their food source are only ash leaves for about a week until they are old enough to mate. Feeding nearly comes to a halt as they focus on mating before they die 10-14 days later. Every female ash borer will successfully lay about 60-95 eggs during that time, having done so within her flight range of about a half mile radius of where she emerged. The eggs hatch in 7-10 days. These newly hatched larva burrow through the ash bark and start feeding on the phloem of the tree. Continued feeding by more and more of these Emerald Ash Borer larvae essentially cut off the flow of sugars to various parts of the tree. Eventually, this feeding over a couple of years will girdle the tree, slowly killing it by stopping this vital supply line. The first signs of a problem surface in the thinning of the crown of the tree, and within time, lead to the eventual death of the entire ash tree itself.

Thankfully today, due to early efforts of a few Michigan arborists like Board Certified Master Arborist Wayne A. White, saving our ash trees from guaranteed death is no longer a dream. As documented on websites like www.treeresearch.org, these early success stories are a shining example of how arborists can now save ash trees with early treatment.

If ash borers are confirmed to be within a 15 mile radius of a healthy tree, treatment is suggested as these treatments work better as a prevention, not as a cure. Once a tree has noticeably declined from Emerald Ash Borer damage, it will be more difficult to save. Preventative treatment is always the best, as it will stop the damage before it even starts. Emerald Tree Care, LLC is working throughout these newly infested areas saving thousands of ash trees throughout multiple states in the midwest using its state-of-the-art “no drill system” to treat both the tree and surrounding soil.

DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE!

Contact Emerald Tree Care, LLC and Board Certified Master Arborist Wayne A. White today and get your trees inspected. Ask about our 100% Money-Back Guarantee!

Homeowners Can Save Their Trees With Early Emerald Ash Borer Treatment

Aug 062011

Agrilis planipennis, more commonly known as the Emerald Ash Borer, is a species of beetle that survives only on ash trees and is capable of killing every known ash species native to North America. The first infestation was discovered in Michigan in 2002. Since then, the pest has spread to fifteen states. Any homeowner who has this species of tree should learn more about Emerald Ash Borer prevention methods.

These insects prefer green and black ash, so these species of ash trees are usually attacked first. White ash are attacked later than green and black ash. Blue ash have proven to be even more resistant, and Wayne White has been able to document that a relatively rare variety of red ash seems to be the most resistant. Even the blue ash and red ash will succumb with time.

Homeowners are urged to start a preventative treatment program as soon as an infestation is reported within a 15-mile radius of their location. Prevention is the best way to battle this pest, since visible signs of infestation may not show up for three years or more.

Emerald Tree Care, LLC will be able to provide an effective treatment for protecting your ash trees from this damaging insect. We combine a soil treatment with a tree trunk injection to introduce insecticide systemically to your tree. A specially designed hypodermic needle is used to inject insecticide underneath the bark. The insecticide is then trans-located throughout the tree within the exact areas where these pests eventually feed. Yearly treatments are recommended when you are in an area of increasing insect populations.

Homeowners who live within 15 miles of where an infestation has been confirmed by their state’s Agriculture Department are encouraged to contact Emerald Tree Care, LLC and Board Certified Master Arborist Wayne A. White to ask about their Emerald Ash Borer treatment programs. Trees that are treated early have a better chance of recovery and survival.

Emerald Tree Care, LLC offers professional Emerald Ash Borer treatment in the five states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Be sure and contact us before it is too late!

Emerald Ash Borer Prevention

Ash Borer, Ash Borer Prevention No Responses »

Jul 312011

The Emerald Ash Borer is threatening more than 7.5 billion ash trees in the United States and Canada. As a result, Emerald Ash Borer Prevention is an increasing concern of everyone who has ash trees growing on their property. To understand how this particular insect infestation can be prevented, it is necessary to understand the Emerald Ash Borer beetle itself.

The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive beetle species that originates from Asia. It made its first appearance in North America around the end of the 20th century and is spreading fast. The insect starts emerging from whatever ash tree it overwinters in, when the accumulated degree days in a particular area reaches 450-500.

The newly emerged beetles feed on only ash leaves for about a week until they are mature enough to mate. Then when old enough to seek a mate, they virtually stop feeding and focus on mating and laying eggs for the rest of their 2-3 week life. The female lays its eggs in the fissure of the bark. When the eggs hatch 7-10 days later, the larvae burrow through the bark to the soft tissue (phloem) underneath which the tree uses to transport sugar throughout the tree. As they devour this carbohydrate rich tissue, the tree loses it ability to store the current year’s sugar being produced by the leaves through daily photosynthesis. Then the following year the tree may be unable to draw from it’s normal sugar reserves when it attempts to “leaf out” in the spring. It can take several years from the initial infestation for any visible damage to show, making it difficult to diagnose and prevent.

Emerald Ash Borer Prevention is necessary for all ash trees that are situated in or close to affected areas. So the first step in determining the level of danger is to know if an infestation has been reported nearby. The generally accepted “Danger Zone” is within a 15-mile radius or less. If that is the case, a preventive treatment is strongly recommended.

This kind of treatment consists typically of two phases, a soil and trunk treatment. In the first phase, in April, the soil around the trees is treated with an insecticide, fertilizer, and a root stimulant. In May or June, the second phase consists of injecting an insecticide directly under the bark of the ash trees. If this prevention schedule is repeated for at least four to five years, chances are good that minor infestations are stopped and the loss of your ash trees can be avoided completely.

Roselle City Council votes to Save Their Ash Trees

Ash Borer, Ash Borer Treatments No Responses »

Jun 202011

June 20, 2011: Earlier this month Roselle, Illinois City Council voted to save 635 of their parkway ash trees out of approximately 1,700 that were inventoried under a Federal grant they had obtained earlier in 2011. The Emerald Ash Borer Treatment contract was awarded to Emerald Tree Care LLC. A story recently broke about what Roselle, Illinois is doing as well as one of its neighbors, Carol Stream, Illinois. While Roselle is treating their ash trees for under $30,000 per year, Carol Stream is planning on removing theirs at a cost of about $2.25 million dollars. One has to wonder why one city can view this problem so much differently than another when the financial repercussions are drastically different, and in one case like Roselle, you get to keep the existing trees! To read more about what Roselle is doing differently than Carol Stream, click on this link –>

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110614/news/706149788/

Board Certified Master Arborist Wayne White, employed by Emerald Tree Care LLC, has had extensive experience treating preventatively for the Emerald Ash Borer in the five states he is licensed in to treat (Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin). Starting back at “Ground Zero” for the Emerald Ash Borer in Michigan in 2002, Wayne White was able to start treatments for Emerald Ash Borer that have stood the test of time. The Somerset Collection in Troy, Michigan is one of those sites. Nearly 300 ash trees have survived at this site at the corner of Big Beaver Rd and Coolidge highway. The City of Troy, Michigan lost over 18,000 of it’s city parkway ash trees to this foreign invasive insect. Yet many visitors, from arborists to various City managers in other states, have traveled to tour this site and see these ash, which have not only survived but are flourishing! If you have an ash tree that you don’t want to lose, contact Wayne White, Board Certified Master Arborist at (877) SAVEASH or (877) 728-3274 or simply fill in the CONTACT ME NOW box to the right—->

DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE!