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linnea56chgo5b

Emerald ash borer treatments : do they work?

I have 3 ash trees, and neighborhood parkway trees are dying in droves this year. 2 are unknown âÂÂwildâ varieties dug up from my folksâ rural property. The largest was bought at a nusery, I think it's a Patmore ash. They all leaf out at different times, so I believe even the wild ones are not the same species. I had them inspected 2 years ago and as of that time, they were said to be uninfested. If I lose these trees, I would have nothing left for shade in the backyard. My peach tree does not count!

A neighbor has been treating their ash for 2-3 years. The tree service bored several holes in the trunk at the root level and inserted sockets. The treatment chemical goes in there. I think itâÂÂs once or twice a year.

Before I hire this company to come and treat mine, whatâÂÂs the latest word on whether such treatments work? Thanks!

Comments (10)

  • ilovemytrees
    10 years ago

    Why not try Bayer Advanced Garden Tree and
    Shrub Insect Control, as a soil drench first?

    It's supposed to work, from what I've read online.

  • Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
    10 years ago

    Linnea, I have a few ash so I am tracking this as well. What county are you in?

    All Fraxinus family ash trees are affected. The ornamental flowering fellas I BELIEVE are Sorbus or something like that.

    Bayer seems worth the effort. I hear it is not 100% and somewhat costly for large trees. Maybe pick a couple favorites and start planting something else.

    FWIW the Gateway Arch park service is planning on removing dozens or hundreds of ash and, of course being idiots, replacing the monoculture with another monoculture.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    From what very little I know about this, treatment isn't a one-time thing, it's annual for the rest of the life of the tree (or the person paying.)

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Oh, I know it's annual. It's a committment, but these are mature trees and worth saving if possible. They pretty much shade the whole yard, and cool the house immensely. I'm in Lake County IL.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    but these are mature trees and worth saving

    ===>>> doubt it ...

    what you need to do ... is plant some new trees... perhaps removing one or two of these.... and cycle thru replacing them all .. over the next 5 years... while the new ones planted ... get a move on ...

    no one said its all or nothing .... now...

    so get some replacements going.. so that when you get tired of those $500 annual bills for treatment... you can be done with them ...

    why dont you get an actual expert over there.. it give you an estimate on the cost.. and then decide if its worth it ... whats the use of making a decision WITHOUT the facts ... [presuming the neighbors application is not near what your mights be]

    ken

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I am considering planting new trees. I have a small lot, less than a ü acre. IâÂÂm not sure where I could plant something that did not interfere with what is there already. The ideal locations to create house shade are all where these ash trees are planted. I suppose I could just plant them a few feet away from the existing trees, if (what I believe you are saying is) the ash trees will die anyway. By the time they are tall enough to interfere the ash trees will be gone anywayâ¦?

    I've got a message in to the company my neighbors are using. it's only 2 days, I have not heard back yet. But of course, they have a product to sell. I thought I'd get some opinions here before believing them.

  • wisconsitom
    10 years ago

    Linnea, there are two major chemicals being used in this effort, imidacloprid, which is in the Bayer Advanced, and something called emamectin. The latter is said to potential provide up to three years of control from one application. It is applied via trunk injection though, so some damage is being done each time it is applied. The Bayer stuff can be soil-applied, which makes for nice and easy application.

    Both of these chemistries are however being scrutinized closely. I can state with certainty that they work for EAB, but the evidence is piling up for both that there are widespread, unintended off-target problems with these items. You'll have to weigh that for yourself.

    Meantime, do indeed follow Ken's advice-get some new trees going. When properly sited and cared for, they grow fast, much faster than a lot of folks think.

    +oM

  • arktrees
    10 years ago

    linnea,
    If you want to try to save them, then do so. There are treatments that are effective, and some of them last multiple seasons. I did a bit of looking around several days ago, and it appears IMHO that there will be eventually effective biological control, but it is in no way ready yet, and I'm not in the forecasting business as to when it will be. BUT, the key is, saving your trees are not futile. It will be a holding action until other factors can be brought to play and treatment is no longer required. It will not always be as it is now. If it were me, I would save them. Takes decades to grow nice mature trees, and frankly you are unlikely to have the very shaded environment you have now again while you are living there. To me, that make it worth it. But from a monetary value, they add a great deal to property values, especially if its one fo the few houses with large trees while everyone else is trying to grow anything at all.

    JMHO,
    Arktrees

  • mulchmama
    10 years ago

    EABs have just appeared in our county in NE Kansas, and our Master Gardener hotline is lighting up about them. Our extension agent compiled a factsheet, and I studied it this morning. We dealt with this when we lived in Chicago and we had a professional service do soil drench treatments. But now Bayer is making a product for home use, and K-State Extension is recommending it only be used on healthy trees no more than 20" in trunk diameter at chest height. Larger trees would require professional treatment.

    Here is the whole document, which I think is very reliable and very realistic. The information would apply pretty universally.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Emerald Ash Borer in Johnson County, KS

  • akamainegrower
    10 years ago

    Bayer may have been the first company to market imidacloprid as a systemic soil drench insecticide, but there are other much cheaper brands (due to patent expiration, perhaps) now available. Two of them are from Bonide and Fertilome. There are others.

    In a conversation with a state entomologist just last week, she emphasized that treatment must begin before the beetles are present if it is to be fully effective.

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