September 2012: Emerald Ash Borer

On your recent summer road trips, have you seen any of these purple boxes suspended from forest trees? They are traps for the Emerald Ash Borer, an insect that has done significant damage in the mid-western states. This month it was confirmed, Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Massachusetts! As the name implies, this insect attacks all ash species including; Franxinus pennsylvanica/Green Ash, Fraxinus Americana/White Ash, Fraxinus nigra/Black Ash and Fraxinus quadrangulata/Blue Ash Trees as well as horticultural cultivars.

Learn more about this insect at any of the links listed below.

Massachusetts Introduced Pests Outreach Blog
United States Department of Agriculture:  Stop The Beetle
United States Department of Agriculture:  Quarantine Map
How to Identify an Ash Tree?



Note:  all images courtesy of the web

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