Emerald Ash Borer- FREE webinar!!

2019 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar on Emerald Ash Borer

When: Friday, March 1 1:00 pm Central time

To Join: https://auburn.zoom.us/j/615766171. 

The Emerald Ash Borer  is responsible for millions of dead ash trees in North America causing homeowners, cities, and nurseries many millions of dollars and heartache. Come learn where this exotic pest came from, its life cycle, and management plans being implemented.   This webinar is presented by Lynne Womack, Georgia Forestry Commission. 

Note: on March 1,  the link to the live webinar opens about 15 minutes before the webinar. If you try to log in earlier, you will get an error message. 

For more webinars in this series, see 2019 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series:  https://articles.extension.org/pages/74786/2019-all-bugs-good-and-bad-webinar-series.  The webinars are brought to you by the following: eXtension Communities of Practice: Ant Pests, and Urban IPM; and by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Clemson Cooperative Extension and University of Georgia Extension.

Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Texas

In late April 2016, four emerald ash beetle adults were located in a trap by the Texas A&M Forest Service in Harrison County (near the Louisiana & Arkansas borders).  Currently, there are no confirmed trees infested with emerald ask borer.

Emerald ash borer, often shortened to EAB, are invasive beetles that attack stressed and healthy ash trees.  These beetles are native to Asia and were discovered for the first time in the U.S. in Michigan back in 2002.  The beetle has now spread to 26 states and killed millions of ash trees.  The beetles are aggressive and can kill an infested ash tree within 2-3 years.

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, there are 16 species of ash in the U.S. and 7 of those can be found in Texas.  

A statewide plan involves monitoring of beetle movement; educational programming; providing technical assistance in prevention, preparation and recovery; and working with regulatory agencies in regards to quarantines.  The Texas A&M Forest Service is also working to slow the movement of the beetle.

“Proper planning can reduce the impact of EAB in our communities,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator Paul Johnson. “Removal of poor quality ash, planting trees that aren’t susceptible to EAB, and protecting high value ash by treating them will help us weather this attack. Work with a forester or an ISA-certified arborist to help you assess your EAB risk and care for your trees.”

For everything you needed to know about emerald ash borers in Texas, see the Texas A&M Forest Service's site here (really, you should read this!!): https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/eab/

For general emerald ash borer information see this site: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/

Squash Vine Borer

My neighbor asked me why her squash seemingly died overnight. Unfortunately, I had to tell her about squash vine borers (SVB). If you grow squash in Central Texas, you are most likely familiar with this insect and it's damage. If you have not yet had the pleasure of encountering SVB, either lucky you or welcome to Texas or welcome to vegetable gardening!

Squash vine borer refers to a moth that lays reddish-brown eggs singly on the base of squash plants. When the eggs hatch, the larvae bore into the squash stem where they feed on the plant from the inside. So if the insect is on the inside of the plant, how can you tell if that's the problem? Typically, there is a hole in the stem where the larvae entered which has yellow sawdust-like frass coming out of it. Larvae overwinter in the soil, pupate, then emerge as adults in the spring to mate and lay eggs. Adult moths are about half an inch long with bright, contrasting colors. The abdomen is bright orange with black dots. The front wings are a greenish-black color and the hind wings are clear, but you typically don't see the hind wings as the wings are folded over the back when at rest.  Damage is death of the squash vine.  Usually it starts at the base of the plant and moves towards the outer parts.

If you have had squash vine borers infest your squash, vines should be removed and destroyed (not composted unless you are sure your compost pile temperature reaches high enough to kill insects) soon after squash harvest. Soil can be tilled before planting to reduce the number of larvae that are in the soil. Row cover can be used to protect new crops of squash you may plant, just remember to remove the row cover when the squash has blooms to allow pollination to occur (or hand pollinate). If you leave the squash uncovered, monitor the stems regularly for eggs and squish the eggs before larvae emerge.
 

You can also try to remove the borer from the stem before too much damage occurs if you catch the infestation early enough. Slit the stem lengthwise with a sharp knife, remove the borer and then cover the cut stem with moist soil and hope it takes root.  Some people may have better luck with squash varieties that root wherever they touch the ground.
On another note, have you been tuning in for the All Bugs Good And Bad FREE webinar series? If you missed one (or all for that matter), you can still listen and get great information!
Here's a link to all of the webinars for 2015.
http://www.extension.org/pages/72197/2015-all-bugs-good-and-bad-webinar-series#.VY2DlFJCjV9
For the webinars that have already occurred, you can click on the topic you are interested in learning more about and it will load that presentation page. At the top right corner there is a "watch recording" button. Click on that and you will be able to listen to the webinar.