Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach announced today (Tuesday) Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been confirmed in Audubon and Guthrie Counties. According to Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship EAB Coordinator, Mike Kintner, larvae were collected from infested trees near Exira and Casey. The small, metallic green beetle is an invasive species than can kills ash trees by boring beneath the bark during its larval stage. This process disrupts water and nutrient transport and generally results in the tree’s death in two to four years. Infested ash trees display canopy thinning, water sprouts from the trunk or major branches, serpentine galleries beneath the bark and characteristic D-shaped exit holes. The species slowly spreads its range naturally when adult beetles fly short distances to new host trees by can travel much quicker when infected firewood is transported by humans. With the addition of Audubon and Guthrie, EAB has been confirmed in 71 of Iowa’s 99 counties. For more information on EAB and what you can do to protect healthy trees, follow the links included with this story on our website.
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