EAB

F

fireaxe

Location
DC
I have only seen one potetial exit hole on a tree that was not dead yet. I have a couple of curious questions about EAB for arborists in highly affected areas:

Kill ALL the ash trees?

Any difference of susceptiblity in natural areas versus residential areas?

Any feeding on other species?

Any galleries or feeding been found past 6 feet?

Have you had success with any treatments of trees that have the exit holes?

Has there been any noticable impact on the populations with anomolous weather (if you have had any)?
 
My regional outfit (the Northern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service) has an active research program in EAB, as do universities within the affected areas. There is a lot out there online, but you could check out these NRS websites:
http://nrs.fs.fed.us/disturbance/invasive_species/eab/
http://nrs.fs.fed.us/disturbance/invasive_species/eab/local-resources/downloads/EAB_potential.pdf

To your questions: all Fraxinus species within the range of this introduced pests are hosts and all are killed. As with lots of borer pests, having a high density of potential host trees in a given area causes the most problems, in rural areas or in cities and towns.
Within the apparent native range in Asia, EAB has been reported on some species of Juglans and others. In the US, it has only been reported to reproduce on Fraxinus, although other tree species might support unsustained feeding.

Galleries are usually on the lower bole, but I don't think that is an absolute restriction. I don't know of successful treatments of infested trees.
As with other insect pests, mild winters favor higher populations and greater spread. Some research within my unit is working on nailing down the critical temperatures for EAB physiology.

I'm no EAB expert, but those are the answers I have.
 
My heart sinks when I think of all the Ash that will be lost. Like the Elms. Like the Chestnuts (not that I remember them).

There is a 25" Ash to the right of my house. Beautiful tree with a decurrent crown. Without intervention, it will be washed over in the tidal wave of EAB.
First spotted in KY in 2009. They're out there. Nasty little buggers.

SZ
 
Has it yet been determined which EAB resistant tree species are best suited as replacement trees in forest, urban and residential settings?

jomoco
 
We are treating with Tree age from Arborjet. It is to my understanding the best product out and is the only tested product that is know to combat an active infestation. The ease of the uptake system is awesome and incredibly fast to use. You can add on to the kit with additional bottles and treat multiple trees at the same time. Arborjet has great customer service and a great array of other products. They also have a bio-insectacide Asazol(sp?) Hopefully this will be approved for injections in the next year or so.
 
[ QUOTE ]
My regional outfit (the Northern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service) has an active research program in EAB, as do universities within the affected areas.

To your questions: all Fraxinus species within the range of this introduced pests are hosts and all are killed.

Galleries are usually on the lower bole, but I don't think that is an absolute restriction. I don't know of successful treatments of infested trees.


I'm no EAB expert, but those are the answers I have.

[/ QUOTE ]

Please excuse my cutting down the size of your original post to what I believe are the most salient points KT.

Tree-age's active ingredient is emamectin benzoate, a neonicotinoid derivative that is classified as highly toxic to honey bees.

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/cleared_reviews/csr_PC-122806_25-Jul-08_a.pdf

Given KT's honest evaluation and opinion about the long range survivabilty prospects of insecticide treated trees with EAB infestations, I can't help but wonder who benefits from systemic insecticide applications other than the manufacturer and applicator? Longterm it's certainly not the trees, clients, bees or environment, in my opinion.

jomoco
 
Jomoco,

I have had a lot of the same concerns as far as the environmental repercussions of treating Ash. That is why I am very hopeful for the Azasol product to be approved for EAB injections. We definitely use insecticides as a last resort. More and more of our customers are asking for products by name now which is getting more then a little frustrating. I think Mauget also has an organic option.
 
I just wish all professional arborists, tree associations and magazines would fully appreciate what an environmental catastrophe it would be if the honey bees were to be wiped out like the elms, ashes, etc.

Even here in SoCal, the bees I see on the job, or even in my own garden act confused, disoriented and lethargic these days, and it worries me, alot dang it!

jomoco
 
[ QUOTE ]
Tree-age's active ingredient is emamectin benzoate, a neonicotinoid derivative that is classified as highly toxic to honey bees.

[/ QUOTE ]

Treeage (Emamectin benzoate) is not a neonicotinoid insecticide. Safari (Dinotifuran) and Imidicloprid are.

Here's a blurb from Wikipedia

"Emamectin, produced by the fungus Streptomyces avermitilis, belongs to the avermectin family of compounds all of which exhibit toxicity for nematodes, arthropods, and several other pests. The benzoate salt of emamectin in particular has found widespread use as an insecticide and is approved by the EPA for use in prevention of emerald ash borer in ash trees.[5] Emamectin is derived from avermectin B1, also known as abamectin, a mixture of the natural avermectin B1a and B1b. Emamectin has also shown promising applications in the eradication of fish lice and in fish farming."
 
Thanks for the correction Treegazer.

However both neonicotinoids and emamectin benzoate are classified as highly toxic to honey bees. Not slightly toxic, or moderately toxic, highly toxic.

See the end of the E-section of this link.

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/cleared_reviews/csr_PC-122806_25-Jul-08_a.pdf

And just because something is legal does not make it ethical as a business practice, in my opinion. Think Wall Street and the mortgage lending crooks.

There are very valid reasons parts of Europe and Canada have banned these insecticides for use on so many of their crops.

jomoco
 
I'm with you, Jomoco. Honey bees are the sh*t.

And I love trees. I heard tree-age stays lower in the tree, where infestation is most likely? Don't know where I heard that. Maybe flowering is less affected?

SZ
 
I totally agree as well Jomoco. I am in no way defending or advocating the use of these pesticides. I do and have injected ash trees with treeage but I refuse to use imidicloprid for the very reasons you stated "Banned in parts of Europe & Canada". They have good reason I'm sure.

I have often wondered about the non target effects of these treatments.

The product TreeAzin that Mauget is distributing has the most potential as a least toxic control that is out there. It's the ONLY pesticide labeled for EAB control in Canada. I've meet with a gentleman from Bioforest, the manufacturer of the product and have used it before Mauget began distribution. Pesticide companies in Canada are required to perform extensive termination studies of their products before they are issued licenses for sale. They actually have to study the effects that treated leaves will have on earth worms during and after the decomposition process.
 
Thanks EZ, and Treegazer.

Considering that the Fraxinus flowering period is relatively brief, waiting until it's over is not too much to ask before injections are done, as a kindness to our busy little buzzing benefactors, in my humbled opinion.

jomoco
 
Is this chemical sprayed or is it micro-injected? If so, I think the honey bee issue would be much less of a threat. Or would it?

Also, ash are primarily wind pollinated. But, there is this single study that suggests that systemic pesticides applied to ash may still impact honey bees.

http://www.networkbees.com/Fraxinus_(ash)_as_a_food_source_for_pollinators.pdf

But, it may come down to...what do we choose? Ash trees or honey bees. What other thing are we going to mess up in our quest to right the many rapid stressors we have introduced into our environments.

Honey bees are not native insects, and by itself that might sound like a knee-jerk justification for being unconcerned with their fate.
The truth is, the decline of honey bees is NOT an ecological disaster. It is an agricultural one. And I'm not minimizing the importance of that to the agribusinesss that feeds us all, but let's recognize what it is.

I am more concerned about the effect of poisons on native pollinators like bumble bees, vespid wasps, solitary wasps, predaceous flies and all the other unglorified critters we absolutely need but never recognize. Would they be impacted?
 
I don't think anyone's saying ashes are not wind pollenated Frax. But as a long time working arborist, I know for a fact that honey bees collect pollen from flowering ash trees beyond any doubt, period.

And as KTSmith stated in his highly informative post, longterm survival rates for infected trees are zilch.

Which begs the question of who actually benefits from the use of these highly toxic to bees insecticides applied to trees in whatever form? From a longterm point of view, only the insecticide manufacturers, retailers, applicators and magazines pushing these insecticides benefit. Not the trees, clients, bees, other beneficial insects, birds or environment.

No-one loves trees anymore than I do. But from a pragmatic longterm point of view, the value of honey bees far exceeds any single tree species value to either us or our planet's ecosystem, in my opinion.

jomoco
 
I'm not saying anyone is saying that.

The point of the article I found was that honey bees may be impacted even though ashes are primarily wind pollinated. So, the article I found was supporting your position if you care to read it.

I'm sort of agreeing, but less on behalf of honey bees than about other insects.
 
Okay Frax, my apologies, I get where you're coming from now.

And by the way I recognised your link because I used it myself yesterday after reading it in its entirety, and agreeing with the exact point Peter made in it. There are three threads here on this subject.

And I agree with you to a very large extent, in that it's not just bees being impacted by these insecticides by any means. Earthworms, ladybugs, hummingbirds and even small rodents are all highly susceptible to the toxic nerve damaging/paralyzing affects of these insecticides.

jomoco
 
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