The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has announced that five more counties have confirmed infestations of emerald ash borer (EAB). The recent finds involve ash trees in the town of Alta in Buena Vista County, Charles City in Floyd County, Cresco in Howard County, Belle Plaine in Benton County and rural Milo in Warren County. “This is traditionally the time of year we experience an increase in calls from Iowans suspecting EAB infested trees,” says Mike Kintner, gypsy moth coordinator for the department. “Now that trees have been given the opportunity to fully leaf out for the season, the symptoms of an ash tree under attack by EAB are more noticeable.” The trees display canopy dieback beginning from the top down, have s-shaped feeding galleries under dead or splitting bark and d-shaped exit holes. Other symptoms include water sprouts along the trunk and main branches and bark that has been stripped off by woodpeckers hunting for the larvae. These five confirmations bring the total number of counties infested to 50. A federal quarantine enforced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture remains in effect and prohibits the movement of all hardwood, firewood and ash articles out of Iowa into non-quarantined areas of other states without a valid agreement or permit. More information and maps are available at www.IowaTreePests.com.
