Bayer Environmental Science, a business division of Bayer Cropscience, LP, has joined forces with Arborjet in the fight against emerald ash borer (EAB), a rapidly spreading epidemic that is killing ash trees throughout the midwestern United States. In an effort to educate people about the devasting pest, Bayer is hosting the Invasive Pest Field Day Series as a follow-up to the Michigan State University (MSU) Field Day in West Bloomfield, Mich. on Aug. 16 at 1:30 p.m.
The Michigan State University Field Day, held at the Bay Pointe Golf Club, will begin at 9 a.m. and include a series of informative and engaging lectures and demonstrations by leading experts on management of EAB. Among the speakers is David Smitley, Ph.D., professor of entomology at Michigan State University. Smitley has done considerable research on EAB and the efficacy of applying chemicals as an alternative to cutting down the ash trees under attack. Dr. Dan Herms of The Ohio State University, Sue Shock of Shock Brothers Tree Care and Wayne White of Emerald Tree Care will also be speaking.
Demonstrations at the field day will include training on the proper and effective application of Merit to trees (by basal soil drench and soil injection), and a preview of a new treatment method using tablets. In addition, application of Merit Tree Injection and Ima-Jet using Arborjet trunk injection equipment will be demonstrated. During the Invasive Pest Field Day, representatives from Bayer will also lead a number of informative discussions and demonstrations on the Bayer Arbor Toolkit for participants. This section will provide information on the contents of the toolkit and a question-and-answer session for people who want to practice pest control successfully with tree care products.
As part of the MSU Field Day, attendees will learn about the results of a multiyear research trial which tested the effectiveness of Merit insecticide basal soil drench treatment on large infested ash trees. The results of Smitley’s research show that Merit, when applied to trees with less than 50 percent dieback at the time of application, proved to be an effective treatment for EAB, regardless of the size of the trees.
Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The larvae feed on the vascular tissue of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. Since its introduction, EAB has killed nearly every ash tree in southeastern Michigan, has spread to 40,000 square miles across Ohio, Indiana and southwestern Ontario, and has recently been detected in northeast Illinois, Maryland, and western Pennsylvania. More than 20 million ash trees have been killed.
The rapid spread of EAB is attributed to the transport of firewood or ash logs from infested regions to outlying areas, although EAB can fly up to two miles in search of a host tree. To date, efforts to eradicate local infestations of the pest by quarantine and cutting down all the ash trees in infested areas have been unsuccessful.