What is Emerald Ash Borer?

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive beetle from Asia that has killed millions of ash trees in the Midwest and Canada since 2002. The half-inch long adult EAB has metallic green wings and causes little damage to trees. The EAB larvae feed under the bark on the xylem layer, disrupting the movement of water and nutrient within the tree and typically causing death within a few years of infestation.

Are my trees at risk?

The EAB only attacks ash trees, but ash trees are found extensively in residential and commercial landscapes and natural woodlands. Mature ash trees have diamond-shape bark patterns and compound leaves composed of 5 to 11 leaflets.

Correct identification of the trees in your landscape is the first step to determining if EAB will impact your landscape. Because EAB has been found in central Ohio, all ash trees are at risk for infestation within a few years. We have seen heavy EAB infestation in Powell, Worthington, and Westerville. We have also found EAB in Dublin, Hilliard, Upper Arlington, Downtown, Pickerington, Bexley, New Albany, and Gahanna.

Management Options

Treatments are available that may help prevent or slow down Emerald Ash Borer infestation of your ash trees. These pesticides can serve as a control measure but are not a cure. Once treatments have begun, they must be continued on an annual basis to maintain effectiveness.

Two treatment methods we use is a trunk injection with Emamectin Benzoate (Tree-Age) or a soil injection with Imidicloprid. Both methods work good as a preventative, but the trunk injection does work against the EAB larvae at an early infestation period. The soil injection needs to be done every year as the trunk injection needs to be done every 2 years.

First consider the overall health of the ash tree(s) and its importance in your landscape. Specimen trees, trees that provide significant shade, and healthy vigorous trees are ideal for preventative treatment. Removal and replacement with another species may be the best alternative for trees that are significantly infested or declining.

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