Iowa’s emerald ash borer plan announced

One larva reported in northeastern Iowa last year doesn't mean the state is infested with emerald ash borer, yet.

Plans are in place, however, to closely monitor for the pest that has devastated ash trees in many states east of the Mississippi River.

Ten Eastern Iowa counties along the Mississippi, from Allamakee at the north, to Lee at the south, will be used for a trapping survey under Iowa's surveillance plans, said Robert Meinders, Iowa's plant health director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Meinders said about 1,550 traps will be placed in ash trees in those 10 counties.

Traps are purple and contain a chemical that smells like dying ash trees. Both elements attract emerald ash borer, he said. The large, triangular sticky traps will be hung in ash trees beginning in May to catch adult beetles flying in the area.

Another 340 traps will be placed at 166 sites throughout Iowa, in parks, campgrounds and sawmills, Meinders said.

Emerald ash borer infestations have been found as close as Illinois, Wisconsin and St. Paul, Minn.

One larva was found last year in Clayton County, said Robin Pruisner, state entomologist for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Pruisner said no additional larvae were found and no signs of infestations were spotted in that area.

Besides trapping, Iowa's plan calls for using sentinel trees in high risk locations, including Linn and Johnson counties, Meinders said.

Sentinel trees are selected ash trees that are purposely injured by removing bark from the trunk.

Meinders noted that stressed trees are more attractive to emerald ash borer beetles and by keeping tabs on sentinel trees, the surveillance team will sooner know if the pest has entered Iowa.

The trees' bark is removed in the fall to check for signs of emerald ash borer, he said.

Experts don't recommend insecticides or other treatments for ash trees, but those recommendations could change if emerald ash borer is detected in Iowa.

Iowa State University Extension does not recommend removing healthy ash trees.

Iowa's emerald ash borer technical team includes the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's State Entomologist Office; Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forestry Bureau; Iowa State University Extension; USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine and USDA Forest Service.

For more information, see the Homegrown blog at:

http://thegazette.com/blogs/homegrown/2010/04/02/iowas-plan-for-emerald-ash-borer