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EMERALD ASH BORER SPREADS THROUGHOUT KENTUCKY

Louisville, KY  January 2012

Since its arrival in 2009, the Emerald Ash Borer has quickly spread to almost two dozen counties throughout Kentucky. Officials began trapping efforts for Emerald Ash Borer in 2008 and had their first confirmation in the state northwest of Lexington in 2009. In the intervening three years the beetle has spread to Anderson, Boone, Boyd, Boyle, Bracken, Campbell, Fayette, Franklin, Garrard, Greenup, Hardin, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Oldham, Owen, Scott, Shelby, and Woodford counties.

The Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered in Michigan in 2002 and is believed to have been brought into the United States in wooden packing material from Asia. The invasive borer attacks all species of native Ash trees. The adult Emerald Ash Borer feeds on Ash tree leaves, which cause minor damage to the tree. The larvae, however, disrupts the movement of water and nutrients in the trunk of the Ash tree by feeding on the cambium. Ash trees can be killed within 2 to 4 years after the initial infestation.

Symptoms of an Emerald Ash Borer infestation include:

• A sparse upper canopy in an Ash tree
• Splits in the bark of an Ash tree
• Shoots growing out of the trunk or near the base of an Ash tree
• D-shaped exit holes on Ash tree branches, tree trunk, or exposed roots

Learn more about the Emerald Ash Borer

Treatments are available to control Emerald Ash Borers and prevent them from killing an Ash tree. Treatments to control Emerald Ash Borer include tree spraying, insecticide soil injections, or tree trunk injections. Homeowners with Ash trees on their properties should contact an arborist or local tree service for Emerald Ash Borer control options.