did he discuss emerald ash borer with you?

are the holes half moon shaped ...

if so ... you have big problems that no dust or pyrethrum based chemical is going to fix ...

the only fix i am aware of is bayer systemic tree care .... it will need to be treated every year until it dies ... potentially very expensive ...

if he missed a diagnosis of EAB .... then you need a better expert ...

google EAB for lots more info ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: google EAB

I'm sorry I forgot to mention , he did say it WASN'T EAB.
So he said it was just a regular(?) bore worm that is treatable.

Any clarification on the pesticide I need?
thanks.

There's a good chance that it's a clearwing borer (ask him to clarify). There are a couple of species that are pretty common on ash, and they're pretty easy to distinguish from EAB.

Bifenthrin (Onyx) and permethrin (Astro and many others) are commonly used for those. It won't kill larvae that are already in the tree, but it can help prevent further infestations. The timing is important, though, and depends on the species (it's probably late now for ash/lilac clearwing, probably not for banded ash clearwing). You would be wise to get a professional if you're not experienced with pesticides.

A better question is whether you really "need" to spray. If it is a clearwing borer, trees can usually recover from a few attacks. The insects are usually more attracted to trees that are injured or stressed. You might be better off spending the money and effort on taking steps to make sure your tree is otherwise healthy and vigorous.

Being that you live in EAB territory, you might should go ahead with the Bayer treatment. I would do a soil drench now, and another in early spring.

I believe Bayer says on the label to use the systemic insecticide only once per year. It saved my white birch that was shot through with the Bronze Birch borer. I applied one drench, (8 ounces in a couple gallons of water in a sprinkler can) in fall '06 and my 20 foot tree is robust and recovering nicely this year. Some neighbors have seen their birch die because they didn't treat them. Now I am watching two strong black ash for Emerald Ash borer. It has just been confirmed in W. Pennsylvania and I will the use the Bayer product when necessary. At about 18.00 per bottle at Lowe's one also has to calculate costs per year based on size and number of trees. The product works well.

We have bore worms in our trees. Some of these trees are 60 to 70 feet tall. The tops are dying and limbs are falling and could cause a very dangerous accident. Please help us. We are losing all our trees.