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Ash Borer – Agrilus planipennis is an exotic beetle
feeding on ash trees in the phloem and outer sapwood. Adults emerge
in late May thru June. Females lay from 65 to 90 eggs which hatch
in 7 to 10 days. Larvae chew through the bark and into the cambial
region where they remain until pupation in May. Infestation is difficult
to detect until dieback of canopy begins. Branches will die once
they are girdled by the serpentine tunnels losing 30 – 50%
of the canopy in year one and killing the entire tree in years 2-3.
Effective treatment takes
place in year one or as a preventative application.
You can control the borer with an injection
of Pointer (Imidachloprid) directly into the cambial area with
“the Wedgle” tree injection system. This injection
method places the chemical directly where the insect is active
without harming the tree like other drilling methods. One application
per year will kill the borer larvae and prevent further damage.
History of Imidicloprid
Imidicloprid was originally manufactured only by Bayer Environmental Science as they had a patent up until very recently. Now other companies are starting to manufacture Imidicloprid and it will start to show up soon under several different labels. It was first discovered in 1985 when a better alternative to nicotine was being searched for. Nicotine is a toxic insecticide but it was also found to be too toxic to warm blooded animals. (Makes you wonder what smokers are really putting in their bodies!) Imidicloprid is in the family of Chloronicotinyl Insecticides. It has a novel mode of action wherein it interferes with nerve impulse transmission of insects. It is benign in its exposure to people. Imidicloprid only affects insects not warm blooded animals. It was first Registered for use in 1994 as MERIT.
Imidicloprid is the most widely used insecticide
in the world. Some of the advantages of this insecticide are
- Application rates are very low. Small
amounts are very effective.
- It has a long residual control of 6-8
months. This is very important with our ash trees as one application
is all that is needed per year.
- This systemic insecticide is easily
translocated to other parts of a plant other than where it was
originally applied.
- It has less impact on non-target organisms
than other insecticides. This is important in soil injections
where we hope we are not affecting the earth worms and other
"beneficial" organisms.
Treatment of trees showing
no symptoms as a preventative is recommended due to the severity
of the infestation and the lethal consequences of the Ash Borer.
Volume discounts available . . . Don't wait until it's too late!
Call
now! 1-877-SAVE-ASH . . . (1-877-728-3274)
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