On Friday, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, issued a press release with the following potentially devastating news; “Emerald Ash Borer Found in Prospect and Naugatuck, Connecticut“. You can read the entire press release here.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has the potential to be as devastating to our population of Ash trees, as Chestnut Blight, was to Chestnuts and Dutch Elm Disease was to Elms. Both of these stately and highly prized species were nearly made extinct by these pest, and survive only in small and isolated numbers.
From the press release: “The EAB is a small and destructive beetle, metallic green in color, and approximately 1/2 inch long and 1/8 inch wide. Adults emerge from the bark of infested trees leaving a small “D”-shaped exit hole roughly 1/8 inch in diameter. This insect is native to Asia and was first discovered in the Detroit, MI and Windsor, Ontario regions of North America in 2002. It has since spread through the movement of firewood, solid-wood packing materials, infested ash trees, and by natural flight dispersal.”
In most cases, the rapid spread of pests such as EAB, and the subsequent decline its host species, has arisen through global economies, and our lack of knowledge of these pests. Knowledge is power, and we face these new threats with the power to affect their efficacy. Our university extension services sit on the front lines of these threats, conducting surveys, trapping and IDing, and testing. With the information they are able to gather, and with our help, we can make a difference in the future of our ecosystems.
Please take the time to learn about these threats, and participate in the battle, by reporting what you see. It can make a difference to our forested ecosystems.
Here are some ID clues to the EAB:
bhld.wordpress.com 