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Emerald Ash Borer makes its way to Louisiana

The Pelican State becomes 25th in the country to confirm the insect’s presence

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

A green, nasty and destructive specimen has been confirmed to be in Louisiana.

Don’t worry, it isn’t Marvel’s Green Goblin so there’s no need to call Spiderman.

It’s the emerald ash borer, a beetle native to Asia that, as its name suggests, preys mostly on ash trees. The confirmation of the bug in Louisiana makes it the 25th state in the United States to have it. Other states include North Carolina, Georgia, Colorado and Arkansas. The first reports of the emerald ash borer came from Michigan in 2002.

“Louisiana’s ash trees are primarily located along the Atchafalaya Basin and the Mississippi River Delta. However, ash trees are also planted in many urban areas for its aesthetic appeal,” said Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. in a release.

Wood from ash trees is most commonly used in flooring, making boxes or crates, baseball bats, millwork and tool handles.

Economic damages caused by the emerald ash borer is estimated to be $20 billion in the next 10 years.

There are various signs that an emerald ash borer has infested a tree.

1.S-shaped galleries
If the beetle has entered an ash tree, their feeding routes will look s-shaped or in a zig-zag pattern.

2.Leaf notches
New adults will eat the ash leaves, creating notches on the side of them.

3.Exit holes
When an adult emerald ash borer exits the tree, they will produce a D-shaped hole, about 4mm wide. Other beetles can produce similar-looking holes, too.

4.Bark deformities
If a tree is infested, there may be vertical splits and cracks on the bark. Bark that is directly over a feeding gallery may turn a pinkish-brown color and dry out.

5.Tree symptoms
The tree itself may show yellow leaves, dead branches and thin tree crowns. An extremely infected tree will produce an abundance of seeds but very few can be used.

To combat the emerald ash borer, the United States Department of Agriculture releases three types of wasps that attack each of the beetle’s stages (egg, larvae, adult).


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