In this article, we’ve focused on providing answers to when it becomes too late to treat for emerald ash borer. If you’re here to find answers, you must read along for all such details.
If you’ve faced a tree pest situation in the past, you’d know that any delay in treatment is likely to affect the tree(s) badly. This is especially true when the pests involved are highly destructive, like emerald ash borers.
Here, ignoring the problem won’t help but instead worsen it. To avoid that, you’ll need to act immediately by seeking competent help.
-
All Emerald Ash Borer Infestations Show Tell-Tale Signs
For the most part, a lot of people are oblivious to pest problems in their trees until the situation worsens.
Here, your best bet of avoiding such is being attentive to common symptoms that can be noticed upon close observation.
Several of these signs of infestation include thinning crown, dieback in the tree canopy, and bar splitting. Your ash trees may also show new and excessive sprouts forming from the tree’s base.
Increased woodpecker activity may also be noticed. This mainly arises from the feeding activity of birds on larvae. A close examination of ash trees will also show D-shaped holes on the bark.
These are exit holes used by matured beetles.
-
EAB Spread
Emerald ash borer infestation is triggered when female adults (beetles) find tree tissues to lay eggs in.
The larvae slowly chew through the bark to its underside when this hatch. Here, these larvae feed off tree nutrients and moisture, showing gradual signs or symptoms.
These pests leverage human activities to further spread to new territories. The movement of firewood across county lines is one way they get across.
Measures have been designed to curb the spread of these pests. One of them includes restriction of movement of firewood across county lines.
When it Becomes too Late to Address Emerald Ash Borer Infestation
When an infestation occurs, ash trees are destroyed within 3 to 5 years.
In full-blown infestations involving many emerald ash borers, affected trees can die within a year. Such is the destructive nature of these pests that they require urgent action.
It becomes too late to act when common symptoms aren’t attended to immediately.
If you’re lucky enough to notice ash borer activity (based on symptoms mentioned earlier) early, you stand a chance to save your trees from destruction.
-
It Might be Over Before Treatment Begins
In some cases, the pros will advise you to scrap the idea of treatment as little to nothing can be done to save your ash trees.
In other words, it’s considered too late to salvage the situation when your ash trees show signs of damage.
Under such circumstances, it’s clear that being proactive is the best line of defense regarding emerald ash borer treatment. In other words, you’ll need to adopt preventive control or remedy.
Only this helps keep your trees in good health condition.
When it’s determined that it’s too late to treat your ash tree, what’s left is to have them removed.
Again, it’s best to have the pros perform the procedure, as affected trees must be handled so that pests are properly contained and not spread to other trees.
-
Preventive Treatment is best.
To keep your ash trees healthy and free from emerald ash borer activity, it’s best to adopt preventive treatment. This involves several procedures that help keep these pests at bay.
Preventive treatments offered by certified arborists include systemic therapy, which requires trunk injection.
Another type of systemic treatment is soil-applied. Like trunk injection, this treatment will need to be applied yearly. Also, treatment timelines will largely depend on factors like your landscape, tree, time of the season, and infestation levels.
-
The Best Time for Treatment
Having ruled out the possibility of restoring your tree to good health after an infestation, it’s necessary to figure out the best time for treatment.
Most arborists will recommend performing preventive treatments between May & June.
The reason for that is simple; during this time, ash trees, like other tree species, will actively be taking up nutrients.
So, applying systemic treatments on soil or via trunk injection tends to be speedy in transporting the remedy to all parts of the tree, including its branches and leaves.
Here, the objective is to guard the tree against emerald ash borer activity.
With your ash trees immune to attack, you get to avoid a responsive or reactionary approach that isn’t effective in dealing with the problem.
-
DIY Treatments may worsen the Situation
To avoid worsening emerald ash borer infestation, it’s necessary to prevent strategies that won’t work.
DIY control will do little, if anything at all, to contain an infestation problem. You’re better off having an arborist perform preventive control of the situation.
This means you’ll need to call for treatment before noticing signs of pest activity.
This helps your ash trees flourish while saving you from unnecessary losses, which can be significant with more ash trees affected.
Timely EAB Control is Necessary
If you consider your ash tree valuable enough, you’ll take measures to ensure it isn’t damaged.
Maintenance is something arborists recommend and will serve your best interest to enter into or arrange a scheduled treatment.
This allows for preventing and detecting pest issues before they worsen. While some of these treatments are annual, others are biennial.
It’s necessary to discuss with an arborist to know your options. Also, the pros of your specific needs enable them to design preventive treatments that suit such needs.
When calling for professional help, be on the lookout for certified arborists. These are reputable and experienced in handling all tree problems while providing optimal tree care.
We’ve seen We’vecertain situations make it too late to treat emerald ash borer infestations in ash trees. The tips above will help you act when it’s right it’s so.