Emerald ash borer
Written by V.G. Nealis Revision
- French common name: Agrile du frêne
- Other common names: EAB
- Scientific name: Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Coleoptera
- Family: Buprestidae
- Partial list of synonyms:
- Agrilus feretrius Obenberger
- Agrilus marcopoli Obenberger
General information and importance
Emerald ash borer is a destructive beetle in the insect family known as metallic wood-boring beetles because of their bright, iridescent colours. Native to the temperate forests of northeast Asia, emerald ash borer was discovered in the United States in Michigan, and nearby southern Ontario in , but was likely introduced in the s via wood-packaging materials. As of , it has been found throughout the eastern North American range of ash (Fraxinus), including southern Ontario and Quebec, and in isolated locations in Atlantic Canada, and in the cities of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Vancouver, British Columbia. It now occurs in the United States east of the th meridian and is expected to occupy the entire range of ash across the American southwest and Pacific c
Emerald Ash Borer
Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis), or EAB as it’s commonly known, is a small, metallic-green, invasive wood-boring beetle native to east Asia that attacks and kills ash trees (fraxinus spp.). Adult beetles live on the outside of trees and feed on the leaves during the summer months, while the larvae feed on the living plant tissue, the phloem and cambium, underneath the bark. The tunneling and feeding activity of the larvae is what ultimately kills trees. EAB attacks trees of any size, age, or stage of health, and trees can die within two years of infestation.
Iowa EAB Infestation Status
EAB was first discovered in North American near Detroit, Michigan in , and has been found in numerous other states, as well as Canada, since then. It was discovered in Iowa in on in island in the Mississippi River near the town of New Albin. Since then, the beetle has moved westward through the state, and new infestations have been found on an ongoing basis. People are responsible for its spread, which is caused by the inadvertent movement of infested firewood, ash nursery stock, and other ash items. Early inventory data indicates that there are roughly 52 million wood
Emerald ash borer
Species of beetle
The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), also known by the acronym EAB, is a green buprestid or jewel beetle native to north-eastern Asia that feeds on ash species (Fraxinus spp.). Females lay eggs in bark crevices on ash trees, and larvae feed underneath the bark of ash trees to emerge as adults in one to two years. In its native range, it is typically found at low densities and does not cause significant damage to trees native to the area. Outside its native range, it is an invasive species and is highly destructive to ash trees native to Europe and North America. Before it was found in North America, very little was known about the emerald ash borer in its native range; this has resulted in much of the research on its biology being focused in North America. Local governments in North America are attempting to control it by monitoring its spread, diversifying tree species, and through the use of insecticides and biological control.
History
[edit]French priest and naturalist Armand David collected a specimen of the species during one of his trips through Imperial China in the s and s. He found the beetle in Beijing and
The impact of emerald ash borer
Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) or EAB has cut a wide swath of destruction across a large portion of the United States, including Illinois. EAB has been responsible for the death of tens, if not hundreds, of million ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees, which has led to drastic changes in some communities and landscapes.
Typically beetles like EAB (buprestid beetles) attack stressed or declining trees. This is what EAB does with the native ash trees in their native range (northeastern China, the Korean peninsula, and eastern Russia). Unfortunately, the North American ash species have no resistance to EAB, so the beetles are able to attack and eventually kill healthy trees. Trees may not show any symptoms of EAB (canopy thinning, increased woodpecker activity, D-shaped emergence holes, as well as s-shaped galleries and splitting bark) for a year or two, but once an ash tree ‘gets’ EAB, the trees will typically die within 2 to 6 years.
History
Emerald ash borer was first discovered/identified in the U.S. in Michigan in However, it is believed the beetles first arrived in the early s and had begun killing trees in the Detroit area by EAB
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