Fond Du Lac Ozaukee Sheboygan Washington   What is the Emerald Ash Borer? The Emerald Ash Borer, also known as the EAB, was discovered in Michigan in 2002. As an adult beetle, the EAB feeds on tree foliage but causes very little damage; it is the larvae that cause the most damage. In the immature stage, the larvae feed on the inner bark of Ash trees, which disrupts the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. Unable to eradicate and stop the spread of this invasive pest, communities and homeowners have lost many of their valued and valuable Ash trees. The devastation is reminiscent of and possibly surpasses the magnitude which was when Dutch Elm Disease began wiping out the American Elm in the 1960's. Since its discovery in 2002, the EAB has made its way through numerous states and was recently discovered in areas of Wisconsin. In August 2008, Wisconsin discovered their first infestation of this insect in Newburg, less than 25 miles north of Milwaukee County. Even though the Chicago area identified their first infestation in June of 2006, numerous infestations have been found across the Chicagoland area since. Unfortunately, since this insect is extremely difficult to find when it first moves into an area, the insect has a strong foothold before we even know it is in our area. For instance, judging by the extent of the damage to the trees in Newburg, experts speculate that the insect has been active in the area for at least 4 years and possibly up to 7 years! Despite the severity of the damage that the Emerald Ash Borer can and will cause to our Ash populations in southeast Wisconsin, there is good news! Valued and valuable Ash trees within a landscape can and have been protected and saved from EAB peril. Wisconsin homeowners are fortunate as we are able to learn from those who went before us. Many management strategies have been employed, yet the only one that continues to return successful results in saving individual trees with a high percentage of success has been preventive pesticide treatments. Treatments have also had success when dealing with trees that are diagnosed soon after being infested with the insect. At sites where infested ash trees have been treated with a soil drench for three years, about half of the trees survived and look very healthy; the other half have died. These trees were heavily infested when the tests began. There are better results possible if treatments begin a year or two earlier. There is a lot of information and mis-information flying around when it comes to EAB and the treatment options. Customers often do their own research and find information that focuses on a treatment option known as soil drenching. Soil drenching may have its place in the treatment of EAB and other diseases, but it needs to be understood that this treatment option is not nearly as effective as direct soil injections or tree injections. It is important to remember that in an attempt to save money, you may end up spending more when the soil drenching does not take well; whether that means re-applicating or having the infested trees removed. This is not to say that the other treatment options are 100% guaranteed, but Treemedics goal is to do the best possible treatment while keeping your trees health and your wallet in mind. The following two treatments have a time and place for each. There are a number of different factors to consider when pricing out the best option. Treemedics LLC looks at the location of your trees in reference to quarantined counties, the size trees being treated, the importance of the trees that you are looking at having treated, and the financial aspect of having your trees treated. We will present you with all the options available to you, and help you make the best decision that suits your individual needs. DEEP ROOT SOIL INJECTIONS Soil injections involve probing the soil that surrounds your trees and injecting the insecticide directly into that soil; closer to the root system. This is often used on trees with a smaller DBH (diameter at breast height), making the insecticide more readily available to the root system rather than using the soil drenching method where the insecticide can be absorbed by mulch or soil prior to reaching the root system. The larger the DBH, the less effective this treatment option becomes. This method also has only a one year residual, therefore should be done every year. TRUNK INJECTIONS Trunk injections involve injecting the TREE-geTM insecticide directly into the trunk of the tree, allowing it to be quickly absorbed and transported through the vascular system of the tree. This treatment option has a significantly higher efficacy rate as well as it has a two year residual; which again means that the tree needs to be treated every two years. Research has found that directly injecting TREE-geTM IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE method of preventing and also curing Emerald Ash Borer. Because of the state designation, TREE-geTM can only be injected by licensed contractors and not sold to consumers.   Home | Emerald Ash Borer Treatment | Other Services | Contact Us Licensed with the Department of Agriculture and Fully Insured PO Box 294 | Richfield, WI 53076 | p. (262) 622-2216 All rights reserved.