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| A friend notice some borer holes on her ash tree on the somewhat dead branch. I took a look and compared it to various borer holes pictures and it looks like an oval Redheaded ash borer hole. Since I am no expert, I was thinking of contacting the local extension office in case it's actually an emerald ash borer.
What should one do about this? Remove the branch? Is the borer still in there or have they left? Paul |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by dan_staley 5b/SS 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Sun, Sep 18, 11 at 8:13
| What should one do about this? Remove the branch? Is the borer still in there or have they left? Depends on the borer, but most have flown and completed their life cycle & laid eggs. I guess you can remove the branch, but if you play that game there will be nothing left. Extension agent is a good start. Dan |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Sep 18, 11 at 8:31
| if you are in EAB country... IMHO.. all ash should go .... i agree.. a call to the county extension office.. or soil conservation dist office ... is appropriate ... ken |
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| You know, I called the county extension office and they put me in touch with a "master" gardner, but he tells me that I should just read the web site for EAB and didn't answer specific questions about how to determine if it's a EAB. I suppose I can probably just measure the hole to rule out that it's not a EAB. For example, if the hole is like 1/4", it's probably not a EAB. Hell, I can't even tell if the tree is even a true Ash. Maybe I should start there first. In the mean time, I wonder what can be done to reduce borers in the future (not just the EAB). I suspect that the reason the borers are there because the owners left the branch in place even though it's mostly dead. She uses it for shade and she's short and can stand underneath it. In the mean time, most people average height keeps hitting their head on it. Paul |
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- Posted by dan_staley 5b/SS 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Mon, Sep 19, 11 at 19:34
| EAB = D hole. Ash borer adults fly. I guess you can pour proper chemicals on the ground as systemic (provided positive ID and listed on label), or promote the health of the tree as a preventative. Dan |
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| Master Gardeners (MGs) are volunteers and, thus, don't work every day. Some know very little, others do much better. Call the Extension office again. Perhaps this time you'll get someone who knows what to do. When an invasive insect is in your region, the MGs should be ready and able to give you specifics. If you don't get any specific helpful responses from the MGs, go to the website that was suggested to you, and look for a County or State person or agency to contact. (In fact, do that right now. Likely the site has both a phone number & an email address for you to use.) When it comes to invasive insects, the public is encouraged to act promptly. State officials would rather have some false reports rather than miss the real thing, thus allowing it to multiply unhindered. |
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| The holes are oval and appears to be bigger than ash borer holes. Borer holes are typically 4 mm in size, these are like twice the size. Based on this, I am thinking that it's probably not EAB. Just to be on the safe side, I soil drench some Bayer advanced tree and shrub on all of the ash tree on the property. Even if it's not a EAB, it's some sort of borer. Any idea how toxic Merit is to the local wildlife? Paul |
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- Posted by dan_staley 5b/SS 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Mon, Sep 19, 11 at 23:53
| I guess one can dump some poison on the ground, hope it works, and tell themselves it won't leak into the local watercourses. That might work out for everyone. Else they can positively identify the pest, then take appropriate action with an appropriate chemical that the label says is targeted for the pest, applied at the proper rate at the proper time. :o\ We have lilac ash borers hereabouts. Bayer doesn't work on them, so we don't dump the chemical and say what the heck. Dan |
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| How does one identify the pest any way. I tried the extension office, but no help there. Based on hole, it's most likely Roundheaded Borers. Paul |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Sep 20, 11 at 8:13
| you said it yourself... you start by PROPERLY ID'ing the tree ... until you do that.. one does not even begin to contemplate chemicals ... you need to post pics ... of trunk and bark and leaves ... if you want us to ID it .. IMHO ... short of spending thousands of dollars on chemicals.. trees with borers NEED TO GO ... ken PS: if the local office has an EAB website .. then i would suggest.. you are in EAB territory .... |
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| That's been done. The tree is a white ash. I looked up the symptoms for borers (not just EAB), so far the tree doesn't seemed to have any additional symptoms other than holes in the dying branch. Holes are on dying branch, not on the main trunk. EAB site give is the general EAB site for the country. However, I believe the area is within EAB territory. Paul |
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| Get out the camera! |
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| As said previously: 1. Go to the website suggested by the Master Gardener. 2. Look for how to contact the agency. They want all reports, even though not what they're looking for. 3. Then contact them, with images if possible. |
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| Here's a picture of the ash borer hole. Note that the picture orientation is wrong. The tree branch is horizontal.
According to the EAB info website a EAB borer hole looks like this:
Based on this document http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/neweab/userfiles/native_borers.pdf, the hole appears to be redheaded ash borer. As for the contacts, here's what I did. I guess I'll call the number listed for my state even if the sighting is not confirmed. Paul |
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| In my first post to you, I explained that various Master Gardeners (MGs) have different levels of knowledge. Call them again. You'll be talking to a different MG. If no help from the MGs, ask to speak with their supervising Extension agent. Beyond that, you posted images from a publication. If you lack a digital camera, perhaps a friend or neighbor can help. |
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| I thought master gardner were just volunteers, so I did not ask for a supervisor. The first image is from the tree itself. This is why I said the orientation is wrong. I was showing the publication photo and publication for reference. Thanks. Paul |
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| Volunteers, whatever the kind, always have a supervisor. |
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- Posted by dan_staley 5b/SS 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Wed, Sep 21, 11 at 19:21
| The BH used to work the Extension counter. Even in today's 'shrink gummint' climate, still staff around. Dan |
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| Hi, I talked with another person at the extension, but the photo was inclusive. She indicated that borer don't make holes in that shape, so it's probably caused by a woodpecker. She also suggested to call an arborist for a better identification. I will try to look around for another hole. Paul |
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