The emerald ash borer is spreading westward again in Michigan. One of the insects was discovered in a trap set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA placed 122 traps in Upper Peninsula counties that had not yet been invaded by the ash borer.
MSU Professor of Entomology Deb McCullough says there is little that can be done to stop the spread of the emerald ash borer. "It was not entirely unexpected," says McCullough. "You know a lot of people vacation up in Baraga County and people bring firewood with them and then the beetles themselves are pretty good fliers as beetles go."
Baraga County has been added to a list of quarantined counties that already includes all of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. In counties under quarantine, there are restrictions on transport of firewood and other potentially contaminated materials.
According to McCullough, homeowners and others with ash trees that they want to save now have the option to use an insecticide that is effective against the emerald ash borer.
