"D-Shaped" Exit Holes

D. Cappaert,

Michigan State University

What is Emerald Ash Borer and how can it damage my trees?

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was discovered in 2002 in southeastern Michigan and Windsor, Ontario.  It infests and kills North American ash species including green, white, black and blue ash.

Adults emerge in late May through August.  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.

Adult beetles leave distinctive D-shaped exit holes in the outer bark of branches and the trunk. Adults are roughly 3/8 to 5/8 inch long with metallic green wing covers and a coppery red or purple abdomen.  Theymay be present from late May through early September but are most common in June and July.

The Emerald Ash Borer does not show preference to stressed vs. unstressed trees.  It attacks all varieties of Ash including green, white, and black.  It attacks all sizes of Ash trees often starting to lay eggs in the branches where it is feeding on the canopy.

Damage is caused by the larvae, which feed in tunnels (called galleries) in the phloem just below the bark. The serpentine galleries disrupt water and nutrient transport, causing branches, and eventually the entire tree, to die.

Infestation is difficult to detect until dieback of canopy begins. Branches will die once they are girdled by theserpentine tunnels losing 30-50% of the canopy in year one and killing the entire tree in the second or third year.  For treatment to be effective, it needs to take place in year one or as a preventative application.

Our Direct-Inject Treatment is Proven... and it Works!

Call Valley Green...your local EAB treatment provider

Valley Green’s Direct-Inject approach prevents long-term wounding, and protects tree health and vitality.  Injections are made through the bark only and no damage is done to the sapwood.

Direct-Injections place the chemical directly into the cambial zonewhere the tree can utilize the product and where the EAB larvae are feeding.  One benefit of Direct-Inject over the old drilling methods is that the tree does not have to expend precious energy healing from drill wounds.Direct-Inject also uses less product per treatment lowering the treatment cost per tree.

Treatments requiring drilling permanently damage trees,reducing a tree’s ability to move store nutrients and provide entrypoints for pests and diseases.Valley Green’s treatment approach offers sustainable treatments year after year with no compartmentalization of the injected area.

Ash Tree Infested with EAB

Eric Rebek,
Michigan State University

Healthy Ash Tree

Eric Rebek,
Michigan State University

EAB in Minnesota

In 2011-2012 a significant infestation was discovered in St. Paul. As a result, more than 500 ash trees are will be removed in February 2012. It is anticipated that another 500-600 ill be removed in the fall of 2012. Emerald Ash Borer is here! And it is just a matter of time before it arrives in Central Minnesota.
Valley Green has proven treatment programs to combat the EAB and protect your trees. If you suspect EAB, or notice other insect infestations that could harm your trees or shrubs, call Valley Green at 320-259-5959.

"An Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure."

When you consider the cost of removing and replacingan infected tree, the cost of prevention through treatment is significantly less.  The cost to treat an average size tree is $65-$70. 

Call Valley Green at 320-259-5959 for an estimate and learn how easy it is to protect your trees from the Emerald Ash Borer.