The Town of Lafayette has been added to the list of communities where the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has confirmed the presence of Emerald Ash Borers.
The insect was discovered in the Town of Lafayette on Aug. 1.
Walworth County was previously under quarantine, and the Town of Lafayette is a new find within the county.
Other Wisconsin communities newly added to the list are the City of Superior in Douglas County and the towns of Black Wolf and Nekimi both in Winnebago County.
Other Walworth County communities where Emerald Ash Borer has been confirmed are: Darien, Delavan, Fontana, East Troy, Elkhorn, Genoa City, Lake Geneva, Linn, Lyons, Sharon, Walworth, Whitewater and Williams Bay.
Emerald Ash Borer was first detected in Walworth County in the Town of Walworth on June 6, 2012.
Winnebago County was placed under quarantine since the last update. Douglas County will now be added to the quarantine list.
DATCP said it expects to continue finding new locations within the affected counties, and will continue to issue press releases when it first finds Emerald Ash Borer in a county and quarantines the county. Subsequent findings in quarantined counties will be announced on DATCP’s website at datcp.wi.gov.
Tips for property owners
DATCP recommends that property owners who have ash trees in quarantine counties:
• Keep a close watch on ash trees for signs of possible Emerald Ash Borer infestation. Signs include thinning in the canopy, D-shaped holes in the bark, new branches sprouting low on the trunk, cracked bark, and woodpeckers pulling at the bark to get to insect larvae beneath it.
• Consider preventive treatments if your property is within 15 miles of a known infestation. Whether to treat depends on the age, size and number of ash trees. Treatment costs vary depending on size of the tree and whether you do the treatments yourself or hire a professional.
• Consider planting different species of trees that are not susceptible to Emerald Ash Borer.
• Call a professional arborist for expert advice, and visit emeraldashborer.wi.gov for detailed information.
How they got here
The Emerald Ash Borer is native to China and probably entered the United States on packing material, DATCP said, showing up first in Michigan about 10 years ago.
It was first found in Wisconsin in 2008 in Washington County. Twenty counties in Wisconsin are currently under quarantine: Brown, Crawford, Dodge, Douglas, Fond du Lac, Jefferson, Kenosha, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Trempealeau, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago.
Emerald Ash Borer adults lay eggs on the bark of ash trees in mid- to late summer.
When the eggs hatch a week or two later, the larvae burrow under the bark for the winter and eat the wood, forming the characteristic S-shaped tunnels and destroying the tree’s ability to take up nutrients and water.
In summer, the adults emerge through D-shaped holes in the bark.
For more information, go to datcp.wi.gov.
