During this time of year, many homeowners start noticing small green bugs hanging around their ash trees. These little creatures are emerald ash borers, and they can cause significant damage to the ash trees on your property.
At Schendel Pest Control, we have over 50 years of experience with pest control and have dealt with emerald ash borers since the day they were discovered in Marshalltown. We know all of the Marshalltown emerald ash borer elimination and prevention secrets that will help keep your yard free of these annoying bugs.
What Are Emerald Ash Borers?
The emerald ash borer is an invasive species of beetle that is originally from Asia. It wasn’t discovered in the United States until 2002, but it's suspected that the bug got into the country about ten years before a recorded discovery. Although they haven't been here long, many residents are already tired of seeing them around. These small bugs are not known to be harmful to people. However, these unique-looking beetles are capable of consuming and destroying ash trees during every stage of life.
Emerald ash borers are small beetles that usually measure only about a 1/2 inch long and 1/16 inch wide. Fully matured emerald ash beetles have bright metallic bodies, typically dark purple, and are covered by two long and thin dark metallic green wings. They go through four life stages, which include:
Egg
Larva
Pupa
Adult
Because it spends the first three stages inside a tree, you will likely only see these bugs when they reach adulthood. However, most of the time, you may not even see the beetle. Instead, you will only notice the ash tree damage from emerald ash borers.
The Damage Emerald Ash Borers Can Cause To The Trees On Your Property
These beetles get their name from their love of ash trees. They start their lives in an ash tree and will stay there and destroy the tree throughout their entire life.
Female emerald ash borers in Marshalltown will lay eggs in the bark of an ash tree. They can only lay one egg at a time, but they can lay anywhere from 60 to 90 eggs in their lifetime. As soon as it hatches from the egg, the emerald ash borer damages the tree by eating away at the tree's tissue located just below the bark. These beetles will stay in the larva stage for a year or two. During that time, they will slither their way around the tree, eating at the delicate wood and causing damage to the roots and veins responsible for supplying the tree with water.
When it reaches the pupa stage, it will bury itself further into the tree until it reaches adulthood. Adult emerald ash borers continue to harm the tree by eating the leaves and depositing their eggs into the bark.
What You Can Do To Prevent Emerald Ash Borers
There are only a few emerald ash borer treatments available to the public. However, the DIY treatments involve harmful insecticides that can be harmful to you and your yard if you are inexperienced in emerald ash borer control. Teaming with a pest control company with experience dealing with emerald ash borers is the safest and most effective way to deal with these bugs.
Marshalltown's Solution To Emerald Ash Borer Activity
If you notice extensive damage on your ash trees, give us a call today. The experienced professionals at Schendel Pest Control are specifically trained in emerald ash borer control in Marshalltown. Call us today to get your quote.