Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald Ash Borer Agrilus planipennis is not common to Alberta, Canada or the United States. It is an invasive species from Asia that were first introduced in the United States in the mid 1900’s, has now been found in southern Ontario. This beautiful beetle is <10.0–13.0 mm in length. With a coppery abdomen, the elytra can be a duller green, purple, blue or even copper in color.

The larva eat the soft wood underneath of the bark, hindering the tree from moving water or sugars throughout the tree. This can kill a tree in one to three years.

This insect prefers Green Ash fraxinus pennsylvanica over Black Ash Fraxinus nigra, but it has been found on both these species in the USA and Ontario. Green Ash make up a large part of the street tree canopy of Calgary. The Emerald Ash Borer knows no boundaries and is headed our way. It is no longer a question of if, but of when.

So what can you do to prevent too spread of Emerald Ash Borer? Don’t bring fire wood across our Alberta border, prune the dead branches out of your trees, water and fertilize applications. Removing the low value trees from our landscape can help us to center our preventative measures on higher value trees.

There is a biological insecticide being used in Ontario called TreeAzin. This is a systemic pesticide that is injected into the tree, this should be applied every two years. This can be used on already infected trees. This has been tested throughout the USA and Canada for control of Emerald Ash Borer and has proved to be successful.