Colorado Springs confirms detection of emerald ash borer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The City of Colorado Springs and the Colorado State Forest Service confirm detection of emerald ash borer (EAB) within the city.

According to the city, the invasive beetle is native to northeastern Asia and has decimated millions of Ash trees in the United States. The city says if left unchecked, the beetle could destroy almost 20% of the city's trees in just 15 years.

Officials say to look for the following to identify the beetle:

• Color: Adults are a Vibrant Metallic Green with a copper-red or purple abdomen. Larvae are creamy- white in color
• Size: Adults are approximately 1/3 inch to 1/2 inch long and 1/16 inch wide. Larvae are approximately 1.5 inches in length
• Shape: Adult beetles are slender with a square-shaped head and a body that tapers to a blunt point. Larvae are legless, flat, with bell-shaped segments and pincer-like appendages on the last segment.

According to officials, EAB starts life as an egg that is laid in the crevices of an ash tree's bark. From there, the city says the beetle hatches into a larval stage where it then tunnels beneath the bark, creating tunnels that impact the tree's ability to absorb nutrients.

The larval stage can last up to two years and kills the tree before the beetle emerges in the spring as an adult and mates in early summer, continuing the cycle, according to officials.

How to identify an Ash Tree according to the city:

• Branches and Buds: Branches and buds are across from each other. Some buds and branches can die, so not all branches will have another branch opposite it.
• Bark: The bark of the Ash tree is grayish-brown with diamond-like shaped ridges on older, established trees and a smooth greenish or gray color for younger Ash trees.
• Leaves: Ash trees' leaves are compound and are composed of 5 -11 leaflets that have an opposite arrangement just like their branches and buds.
• Seeds: Seeds of an Ash Tree are dry, oar-shaped, and occur in clusters on trees until late fall to early winter when they fall.

How to identify an Ash Tree that has been infested according to the city:

• Tunnels underneath the bark that typically go in an S-shaped pattern.
• Very small and "D" shaped holes.
• Abnormal sprouts near the trunk of the tree.
• More woodpecker activity due to the bird feeding on the EAB larvae.

There are several look-alikes to the beetle, the most common being the Green Flathead Borer, which has a rounder body and head and is not as vibrant as the EAB. The city says this beetle does not attack living trees.

The city encourages those who see signs of an EAB in their area to report it to their local municipal forester.

“This is serious but not unexpected. We have been preparing for this, and even with the high number of ash trees that we do manage, the city is ready to respond,” said Matthew Puckett, City Forester.

For more information on the beetle, click here.

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