An invasive, wood-boring beetle responsible for killing tens of millions of ash trees in North America is getting closer to North Carolina’s coast.
With the North Carolina Forest Service announcement Wednesday that Bertie, Anson, Duplin, Martin and Sampson counties have been deemed positive for the emerald ash borer, the total number of counties where it has been detected in the state is now 76.
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The emerald ash borer, or EAB, has been found in more than 75% of North Carolina counties including all of western North Carolina, most of the Piedmont and continues to track east, officials said.
“Seasonal trapping for EAB typically runs from late March to early May. During that time, we were able to extract adult beetles from ash stands in Anson, Bertie, Duplin and Sampson counties,” Jim Moeller, forest health specialist with the N.C. Forest Service, said in a statement.
Host plants include all native ash trees and native white fringetree. The Chinese white fringetree, often planted for ornamental purposes, is believed to be resistant.
“While we weren’t able to physically uncover the insect in Martin County, current signs and symptoms found in ash trees indicate EAB infestations are already underway. We’re going to consider Martin County positive based on these indicators so landowners will know what to expect and can plan accordingly,” Moeller added.
Emerald ash borer is a metallic green beetle that bores into ash trees and feeds on tissues beneath the bark, ultimately killing the tree. Adult beetles are about a half-inch long and 1/8-inch wide and lay eggs on the bark of ash trees. When the eggs hatch, the larvae bore into the bark and feed on tissues of the tree. This disrupts the movement of nutrients and water within the tree, causing the tree’s slow death usually within three to five years.
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In North Carolina, the adult emerald ash borer is typically active from late spring to early summer, likely April through June. Its larvae may be found under tree bark most of the year.
Officials said signs and symptoms of an emerald ash borer infestation include the following:
- Thinning and dying crowns.
- Increased woodpecker activity that causes the tree to look like it is losing patches of bark.
- Small, 1/8-inch D-shaped exit holes where adult beetles emerged from the trees.
- Galleries on the inside of the bark.
- Cream-colored larvae.
- Epicormic sprouting or sprouting from the main stem of the tree.
The entire state is under a quarantine for emerald ash borer, which prohibits the movement of ash plant parts, the insect itself, ash nursery stock and all hardwood firewood into nonquarantined areas such as central Tennessee, most of Alabama and Florida, officials said.
The spread of invasive insects in the state is often due to human activity through the transportation of infested wood products such as firewood. It is strongly recommended that people burn local or treated firewood to reduce the spread of invasive pests.
The N.C. Forest Service Forest Health Branch monitors the spread of invasive pests.
People who suspect there is an infested tree in an area near them should contact their county ranger. Contact information can be found online at www.ncforestservice.gov/contacts.
For more information about EAB, visit ncforestservice.gov and follow the links under the “Forest Health” section. To view current federal EAB quarantines, visit www.emeraldashborer.info.
