Emerald Ash Borer in Colorado Springs
Earlier this year, the Colorado State Forest Service confirmed the presence of a foreign insect in the local area. It’s now official that the emerald ash borer beetle is established within city limits. This invasive pest presents a risk to every property with ash trees in Colorado Springs.
Emerald Ash Borer in Colorado Springs: What This Means for Your Trees
The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic-green beetle native to Asia. Though it’s hard to be 100 percent sure, experts think these green bugs likely arrived in the country in wood packing material. Adult emerald ash borer beetles are essentially harmless, but the larvae pose a real threat. They burrow beneath the bark of healthy ash trees and feed on the layer of tissue that carries water and nutrients through the tree and down to the roots.
How Quickly Can Emerald Ash Borer Kill a Tree?
A healthy, untreated ash tree typically dies within two to four years of emerald ash borer infestation. When you consider that it’s a non-native pest, the seriousness of the situation becomes clearer. Ash trees have no natural resistance to this pest in North America. Roughly 15 percent of the trees in Colorado Springs are ash. Without preventative care, the emerald ash borer can kill nearly every one of them within 15 years.
What Are the Signs of an Emerald Ash Borer Infestation?
An infested ash tree rarely shows obvious damage right away, but some of the early signs of this pest include:
- Canopy thinning
- Vertical bark splits
- S-shaped tunnels in the tree trunk
- New sprouts emerging from the trunk or roots
- Increased woodpecker activity
Emerald Ash Borer Treatment
Treatment as soon as ash tree disease becomes apparent gives the trees a chance of surviving. Systemic insecticide injections to the trunk by a certified professional can protect healthy or lightly infested trees for several growing seasons.
If you have ash trees on your property, don’t wait for symptoms to spread. Call Affordable Tree & Shrub Experts today or schedule a professional inspection to find out whether treatment can still protect your trees.