Advocacy & Research Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Quarantine for all of Virginia

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has expanded the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Quarantine to include the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. This action became necessary after the recent detection of EAB in the counties of Buchanan, Caroline, Giles, Hanover, Lee, Prince Edward, Stafford and Warren. The quarantine previously included Arlington, Charlotte, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Halifax, Loudoun, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Pittsylvania and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Danville, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park and Winchester. Under this statewide quarantine, the regulated articles, which include ash trees, green (non-heat treated) ash lumber and ash wood products, as well as hardwood firewood, are no longer subject to localized movement restrictions and may now move freely within the state.

For additional information about the Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine call the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 804.786.3515

For details about the Emerald Ash Borer, see the following VT Factsheet: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2904/2904-1290/2904-1290.html

This is the link to EAB information posted on the VDACS website: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/releases-a/072612eab.shtml

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Research Update from Stanton Gill

The University of Maryland Extension held an emerald ash borer conference for foresters and city managers to discuss how to plan out control strategies for emerald ash borer. One of the speakers, Cliff Sadof, Purdue University, has an excellent emerald ash borer calculator program that can be used to calculate the cost of taking ash trees down and/or treating them with insecticide to extend their life. You can look at this calculator at www.treebenefits.com/calculator/ .

Cliff also talked about the best time for chemical applications. If you are using imidacloprid as a soil injection, then spring applications are best. For imidacloprid, sometime between mid-March and mid-May is best. You will get one year of control. If you use dinotefuran (Safari, Transtect) then a spring application of mid-March to early June, either as a soil drench, basal drench or injection. You also get one year of control.

If you are using emamectin benzoate (TreeAge) then applications in the spring can go up to late June and still be effective. This material at the mid-level rate gives 2 years of control. At the very high end rate it has been reported to give 3 years of control. The label says two years of control.

All of this area is already under quarantine and ash firewood and ash trees cannot leave these areas.

TPM/IPM Weekly Report for Arborists, Landscape Managers & Nursery Managers, University of Maryland Extension, August 3, 2012 www.ipmnet.umd.edu

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