The Emerald Ash Borer Likely in Norwalk

Has anybody in Norwalk seen the emerald ash borer? The EAB--as the invasive beetle is commonly abbreviated-- is ravaging ash trees across the Eastern U.S.
 
At an official level, the EAB has not been detected in Norwalk.
 
But, citing field research conducted seasonally by Connecticut entomologists—they are scientists who study insects—the Norwalk Tree Alliance declares that it is highly probable the beetle has spread to Norwalk’s ash stands. The conclusion is based on the confirmed presence of the EAB in the contiguous communities of Westport and Wilton.
 
The EAB measures less than a half-inch in length and is distinctive by its glossy, metallic-looking green wings and a kind of luminosity.  
 
Only ash trees are vulnerable to attack by this particular species of insect.  In some instances, to save a tree a chemical treatment can be sprayed or a systemic drench applied to the roots. But the tree alliance suggests a licensed arborists should be consulted beforehand.
 
Letting nature take its course will inevitably lead to the destruction of the tree.
 
In general the appearance of the EAB is driven by the natural migration of winged insects. But ash firewood has been established as a significant carrier and many states—Connecticut among them—have quarantined the movement of the wood outside state lines.
 
How do you know if the EAB has reached your locality?
 
Because of their tiny size, they are difficult to pick out visually in flight or even once they alight. But there is a giveaway:  D-shaped holes in the bark of the tree no more than one-eighth-of-an-inch in diameter reveal the EAB’s presence. They are also the prey of digger wasps that carry EAB larvae back to the wasp nests.
 
So far the EAB has been detected in at least a third of Connecticut’s 169 communities since 2012—and the incidence continues to grow.
 
Chris Donnelly,  Connecticut’s forest coordinator, predicts: “A fair conclusion from what we know of the insect is that before we get too far down the road it will be found in every community in Connecticut, maybe not this year or even the next but fairly soon.”
 
To assist in tracking the EAB’s proliferation, if you detect the presence of the insect, contact the Norwalk Tree Alliance at ntact@ymail.com, indicating what you observed, the locality and the date, attaching any available images.
 
Since the EABs arrival in the U.S. in 2002—first reported in Michigan where packing crates originating in China were the suspected carrier--tens of millions have ash trees have been destroyed in 26 states, the District of Columbia and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
 
The infestation is the second scourge to obliterate the ash stands of America. A blight called ash yellows swept across the U.S. some years earlier and killed countless numbers of trees, leaving others stressed and weakened.
 
Adult EABs munch on the leaves. But it’s the larvae that are lethal. They feed on the cambium and phloem under the bark, technical terms for the interior layers that carry the nutrients vital to the life of the tree.
 
As a hardwood, ash has a quality of springiness and has been used for manufacturing furniture, baseball bats, tool handles, musical instruments and, at one time, hockey sticks and tennis rackets.
N
Submitted by Norwalk, CT

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