September 7, 2005
Scams emerge as emerald ash borer awareness picks up
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The emerald ash borer (EAB) emerged this year in new parts of Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. As media reports about the insect increase, so does the confusion about how to battle the bug.
Jodie Ellis, the exotic insects education coordinator at Purdue University, said people have been getting phone calls about a 'guaranteed preventative or treatment' against the insect.
"Controlling EAB is not a simple matter of spraying trees with insecticides," Ellis said. "The insect's biology doesn't lend itself to the complete eradication needed to be truly rid of this pest. So if someone tries to sell you a service or product guaranteeing 100 percent effectiveness against EAB in Indiana, they're probably offering something too good to be true."
Ellis said in Indiana, even if an ash tree was treated with pesticides for EAB, it may still have to be cut down as part of a federal eradication program.
"To gain control over the spread of EAB and eradicate it in Indiana, the insects' food sources and breeding grounds must be removed," she said. "This means that all ash trees within one-half mile of a known EAB infestation must be destroyed," she said.
To help in the fight, residents should be vigilant for signs of EAB, and most importantly, not transport firewood, Ellis said. Firewood is the main way that EAB is spread to new areas.
Ellis also said it's important to remember that EAB only attacks ash trees. Signs of EAB include D-shaped exit holes in the main trunk, die-back in the top third of the tree, vertical splits in the bark and increased woodpecker activity. Anyone who suspects they may have EAB in their ash trees should contact the Indiana Department of Natural Resources at (866) NO-EXOTIC.
"There have already been reports of unscrupulous individuals contacting residents and businesses claiming that they are authorized by Indiana to remove ash trees from EAB-infested areas," Ellis said. "This isn't the case. If your trees are part of the eradication project, representatives from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources or the U.S. Department of Agriculture will speak with you in person."
Bob Waltz, Indiana state entomologist, said some Hoosiers have also been told there's a law against bringing firewood into public and private campgrounds.
"Indiana's EAB infestations likely happened because humans moved infested ash products like firewood," he said. "We would be delighted if campers decided that moving firewood was too risky for the environment. That said, the current laws only control the movement of firewood to and from EAB quarantined areas, but private campground owners do have the right to refuse to let you bring firewood onto their property."
Waltz thinks the confusion about the firewood may have resulted from the state's "Don't Move Firewood" campaign. The campaign was designed to encourage people not to move firewood because EAB is easily transported in the wood.
The adult emerald ash borer was first found in the United States near Detroit in June 2002. It is slender, a bright, metallic, coppery-green color and about one-third of an inch long, making it difficult to spot in tree leaves. The larval, or immature, form of the pest destroys live ash trees by eating the vascular tissue that supplies nutrients to the tree. The tree starves to death about three years after it's first infected. For more information about EAB, visit Purdue's EAB Web site.
Writer: Kay Hagen, (765) 494-6682, kjh@purdue.edu
Source: Jodie Ellis, (765) 494-0822, ellisj@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page
Related Web sites:
Purdue EAB page
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