The Emerald Ash Borer is a green-backed wood-boring beetle that attacks Ash Trees in the Northern regions of the United States. It was first discovered in Michigan in 2002 and has quickly made a mark in the arborist industry in neighboring states like Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and more. It was thought to be inadvertently imported from Asia ten to fifteen years ago. They are little green beetles that primarily feed on the foliage of Ash trees. But the adult Emerald Ash Borers are not necessarily the threat because their foliage eating has little damaging effect on Ash trees. It is the larvae that causes problems and deterioration.
Emerald Ash Borers
Emerald Ash Borer larvae looks like a small maggot or white worm; while adult beetles are about the size of a raisin, and have metallic green backs. Adults lay eggs inside the bark, and when their larvae is born, they eat their way to the surface until full-grown. Once adults, they emerge from the bark, leaving behind D-shaped exit holes in the wood.
The Emerald Ash Borer larvae is highly damaging to Ash trees, killing thousands of them each year. In fact, since their discovery, these wood-boring beetles have managed to destroy tens of millions of Ash trees all over the northern and north-eastern regions of the country. Affected states include Kentucky, Wisconsin, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, and even parts of Canada.
The destructive effects of the Emerald Ash Borer has cost farmers, arborists, homeowners, and municipalities millions of dollars in damages and losses. The USDA and other caused organizations have been obligated to enforce fines and quarantines on farms and nurseries that contain infected trees. These regulations and restrictions prevented pest-ridden hardwood and logs from being transported out of infected areas.