Emerald Ash Borer Discovered in Illinois

On Tuesday, June 13, 2006, Mark Cinnamon and Warren Goesch of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and Steve Knight of the USDA Animal and Plant Service announced that a beetle found by a homeowner in Kane County in Windings of Ferson Creek, a subdivision of St. Charles, Illinois was confirmed to be the emerald ash borer.  Initial inspections revealed hundreds of emergence holes in at least a half a dozen trees in the immediate area.  Further surveys are underway to determine the extent of the infestation.  The infestation was probably started by bringing in infested firewood.  On bright sunny days from mid-April to early August inspections for the adult beetles should be made on the bark and foliage of ash trees.  The one-half inch long dark metallic green beetles might be seen crawling on the ash trunk and limbs and feeding on the foliage.  Do not confuse the emerald ash borer with the bright green one-half inch long tiger beetle commonly seen on the ground, on stones, large rocks, and logs.  People who might suspect they found the beetle should kill it, freeze the specimen, and then contact the IL Department of Agriculture at 1-800-541-3934, USDA APHIS PPQ at 1-847-299-6939, your local IDNR forester or Extension office in your county.