Emerald Ash Borer Discovery in Lyon

The invasive and destructive tree pest, the emerald ash borer (EAB) has been detected in Lyons, Boulder County. It’s now the fourth community with a confirmed sight in since the first discovery in 2013, although still within the quarantine area previous set up. The quarantine is to prevent the spread of emerald ash borer through human activity, which could lead to a spread of the pest around the state.

How Damaging Is the Emerald Ash Borer?

The EAB has been linked to around 15% of community and urban tree deaths in Colorado. Most of these trees are on private land, but the pest is so aggressive that it’s killed both healthy and stressed trees. Once infected with the invasive pest, the trees die between two and four years later.
This latest sighting is on private land and the Colorado EAB Response Team was immediately called, allowing for a test to confirm the type of beetle spotted. More tests are now taking place around the area, but only one tree has been identified as infected so far.

Knowing If You have an Infestation

Residents are being encouraged to look out for any signs of EAB on their ash trees. It’s important now to look at your trees and determine if they are ash trees. You’ll know by a tree usually having 5-9 leaflets, with buds and branches growing in opposite directions. There are also diamond-shaped bark ridges.
Look out for the upper tree canopy thinning and D-shaped holes forming on the bark. You may also see some S-shaped tunnels in the bark where splitting may occur.
Make sure you call the Colorado EAB Response Team immediately, as the signs can also be signs of other pests. You can also prevent the spread of the disease by not disposing of untreated ash wood or firewood elsewhere.

If you have any questions about emerald ash borer, give SprayTech a call at (720)248-0000.