Destructive Exotic Insect Found In Central Ohio Tree
[NBC4I 2005-07-19 03:23]

Surveyors Working To Determine Extent Of Infestation

DELAWARE, Ohio -- Ohio Department of Agriculture officials Tuesday announced the discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer, a destructive insect from Asia, in an ash tree south of Delaware.

Department surveyors are working to determine the extent of the infestation, according to a news release issued from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Officials discovered an infected ash tree landscaped near the intersection of U.S. Route 23 and Stratford Road while responding to a concerned citizen's call.

It is likely the infestation started as a result of the transportation of firewood, ash tree nursery stock, ash logs or other ash tree materials from a quarantined area, officials said.

In Delaware, all ash trees within one-half mile of the infested tree will be marked for removal. Destroying ash trees within the insect's natural spread is the only known way of eradicating EAB in an already infested area.

To date, EAB has been identified in Delaware and Franklin counties in Central Ohio. Several northwest Ohio counties have detected EAB, according to officials. The pest was first discovered in Ohio in 2003. Since then, EAB was eradicated from Franklin County and in Defiance County, in northwest Ohio.

Ash trees infested with EAB typically die within 3 to 5 years. The pest belongs to a group of insects known as metallic wood-boring beetles. Adults are dark metallic green in color, one-half inch in length and one-eighth inch wide, and fly only from early May until September.

Larvae spend the rest of the year beneath the bark of ash trees, and when they emerge as adults, leave D-shaped exit holes in the bark about one-eighth inch wide.