Emerald ash borer found in 2 more Iowa counties

Pest has been confirmed in all however 8 Iowa counties

Larval galleries made by the emerald ash borer larvae could be seen on an ash tree on the Interstate 380 northbound relaxation cease in Cedar Rapids in October 2015. (The Gazette)

The tree-killing emerald ash borer has been confirmed in Dickinson and Humboldt counties for the primary time, leaving solely eight counties in Iowa the place the pest has not been discovered because it was first detected in 2010 within the state.

Larvae had been collected by Iowa Division of Agriculture and Land Stewardship employees simply outdoors the jap metropolis limits of Arnolds Park in Dickinson County and in rural Dakota Metropolis in Humboldt County, the state introduced final week. Federal identification confirmed the samples as optimistic for the borer.

It’s the cumulative harm by larvae feeding on the inside bark that ultimately kills ash timber, the state says. The feeding cuts off the tree’s capacity to move water and vitamins, usually killing a tree inside two to 4 years.

Indicators of an infestation embody cover thinning, leafy sprouts taking pictures from the trunk or most important branches, serpentine galleries below the bark, bark splitting and woodpecker harm.

“As a result of woodpecker harm is usually a signal EAB has infested an ash tree, we obtain quite a few calls in the course of the winter and early spring,” mentioned a press release from Mike Kintner, Iowa Division of Agriculture’s emerald ash borer and spongy moth coordinator. “These newest new county detections had been the results of inexperienced business professionals alerting our division about the potential of EAB infested timber primarily based on the woodpecker harm they noticed.”

Whereas the borer can journey domestically, long-distance unfold of this insect is attributed to individuals shifting infested materials, together with firewood.

The eight counties the place the emerald ash borer has not been detected are Osceola, Emmet, Kossuth, Mitchell, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Woodbury and Monona, in keeping with the state ag division.