The weather is cold. In fact, we had someone text in to 35270 and say that it wasn’t “fit for man or beast!” This listener was right. Especially those invasive species who are taking down ash trees across the midwest.
The Emerald Ash Borer is an insect that originated in Asia and was first found in Detroit, Michigan in 2002. Since then, it has moved across the United States and has decimated the ash tree population. All varieties of ash trees seem to be at risk for this tree killer. The female lays her eggs in the crevices found around the bark and when the babies hatch, the larvae bore into the ash tree and feed under the bark, leaving tracks visible underneath. The feeding disrupts the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients, resulting in dieback and bark splitting.
MORE ON THE EMERALD ASH BORER – CLICK HERE
Lee Frelich, the Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology, joins IT2 with some good news about this bad weather. The extreme cold can kill off the larva of the Emerald Ash Borer and halt their spread for several years. After an especially harsh and cold winter, you get a reprieve from furthering the spread. And, thanks for this Mother Nature, the trees don’t seem to be affected by the cold temps. Lee notes that even at fifty below, an ash tree can still sustain itself.
While it’s not a permanent fix to the problem, the cold temps are definitely worth bundling up for as they keep the larva at bay.
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(Amy Iler & JJ Gordon are talk-show hosts at 790 AM KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. “It Takes 2 with Amy & JJ” can be heard weekdays 11am-2pm. Check out the show page on
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