Apr 21, 2009 6:51 pm US/Central
Hunting For Signs Of Emerald Ash Borer In Minn.
(WCCO)
-
-
The Ag Department will use sticky traps to figure out whether the Ash Borer has reached Minnesota.
CBS
Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes and some 900 million ash trees. Maine is the only one other state that has more.
Minnesota's ash trees face a serious threat -- a metallic green bug from Southeast Asia called the Emerald Ash Borer.
Earlier this month it was found in Victory, Wis., about 20 miles from the Minnesota border.
"It is not known to be in Minnesota, but is very, very close," said Geir Friisoe, who heads up the plant protection division for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Friisoe used a piece of damaged ash tree wood to show how the Emerald Ash Borer hurts the tree. It turns out the damage isn't done by the beetle. The serpentine galleries in the wood are caused by the Borer's immature form, the larvae.
"That's what causes this," Friisoe pointed out. "They just feed going back and forth making this 'S' shape. Basically the tree starves to death."
The Ag Department will use sticky traps to figure out whether the Ash Borer has reached Minnesota. It turns out Viking fans aren't the only ones who like purple. So does this dangerous bug, so they use purple sticky traps.
"Through research it's been found that they're attracted to the color purple," said Tiffany Pahs, a plant health specialist with the Ag Department.
Starting in May, Pahs will set traps all over the state, especially in southeastern Minnesota.
"We're gonna do them throughout the state, focusing on campgrounds and state parks," she said.
The beetle often travels on fire wood. That's why you now have to buy firewood at state parks instead of bringing your own. Some people have suggested that free firewood might be a way to stop the spread of the beetle.
There's some good news and bad news in the battle against the Borer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imported another pest that can control the bug.
"These are all stingless wasps," said Friisoe. "They have demonstrated up to 70 percent control using these biological control agents."
Unfortunately, the USDA is still testing and probably won't do a wide release for another five years.
In the meantime, agriculture officials are asking owners of ash trees to keep an eye out for Emerald Ash Borer. If your ash tree has symptoms of dying at the top, you should take a closer look. Emerald Ash Borer exit holes look like the letter "D."
If you see these symptoms, you should contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture at 651-201-6684 or 1-888-545-6684.
Paula Engelking, Producer
Contact Paula
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
