All you need to do is apply a few bottles of Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub or its generic/store brand equivalent around the base of the tree each April just before the buds break. This provides significant protection against EAB. I think you have Meijer stores in Illinois -- the last few seasons, they have carried "Green Light" brand generic equivalent of the Bayer product for about $12.99 a bottle, although I really haven't looked this year to see if they have it for 2012. Depending upon the size of your tree, it will take somewhere between 1 and 4 bottles to treat. If you watch in the fall, you can often get it on clearance for cheap, I got some for $5 a bottle in the fall of 2010.

I put a link at the bottom to an extension service publication about EAB treatment.

Here is a link that might be useful: EAB treatment pdf

i treated mine with the bayer ...

and get this.. they grew like the trees they are ...

and it did not take too many years for that babe to turn into a monster.. and make treatment COST PROHIBITIVE ..

SO I CUT THEM ALL DOWN.. WHILE I COULD DO IT MYSELF.. FOR FREE ...

IMHO .. its not worth it .... and in this case.. its not even your tree ... and if some bureaucrat decides they have to go ... you are going to have a hard time fighting.. get this.. city hall ...

ken

In this case, I think that removal is not good current advice to others outside of MI.

AND, the cost for the pesticide has plummeted - making treatments far more affordable for those who wish to take on this task.

Recent presentations at a symposium in Cincinnati have vouched for this approach. Check on more information from your local Chicago arboreta - there's a couple you may have heard of: Morton Arboretum, Chicago Botanic Garden. Also, U of Illinois and U of Wisconsin are likely leading the way with recommendations for your conditions, and this information will be distributed through the Cooperative Extension Service.

Finally, trained certified and experienced arborists in your area can provide documentation of examples of treatments for large specimens - beyond the general homeowner applications for smaller caliper trees.

MI was ground zero for this catastrophe, 10-12 years ago. A lot has been learned since then, thankfully, so that the most extreme measures don't have to be taken every time. Not every tree can be saved - but many can and will.

In this case, I think that removal is not good current advice to others outside of MI.

===>>> just to clarify ... removal was not the point of my reply ...

it was the COST.. FOREVER ... i am a cheapskate.. any cost is not reasonable ... there are thousands of trees that will not require such ...

but .... you are correct .. i am not up on current annual costs ...

ken

Understood.

I would add: the research is pointing toward about 6-8 years of treatments, after which the insect pressure plummets.

This changes the calculus tree-mendously. I'm sure we will all stay tuned.

Oh yes! Very much staying tuned.

They found EAB about ten miles from here recently. Last year, they put up trap boxes. One of the few trees close enough to my house to provide any shade is a green ash, and I DO NOT want anything to happen to it. My recent understanding was that treating a small number of 'important' trees was perfectly doable. This sounds like even better news than that.

A sincere kudos for your willingness to take responsibility for the health of a tree that's not technically yours. Viburnumvalley brings welcome and encouraging news!

My area is currently being devastated by the EAB and it's heartbreaking to see. Our city has the responsibility of removing hundreds of ash trees, which has proven to be an enormous burden on both the city's manpower and finances. Trees are being removed on a triage-style system as funds are available. Please consider that if your city also becomes inundated with the need to remove Ash trees, yours (should it succumb to the EAB) may not be removed as quickly as you would like. Also, replacement of the tree by your city may very well be delayed for the same reasons.

Treating our Ash tree for years into the unforeseeable future without a guarantee of success was both a financial and emotional burden I was not willing to take on. Several years ago, I chose to remove our Ash (our yard and responsibility) before it got too large and too expensive to do so. It was been replaced with something I can enjoy worry-free.

If you decide to try to save this tree, not treating it is probably not an option at this point and I truly hope to hear of your success in the future! Best wishes on making the decision that will be right for you.

I would add: the research is pointing toward about 6-8 years of treatments, after which the insect pressure plummets.

==>>> but if you replaced it with an oak or.. god help me a maple ... starting with a reasonable 6 footer.. it will be 15 to 20 feet tall in those 6 years .. cost you less than the treatment total .. and then live for another 100 years ...

on the other hand.. stop treating after 6 years.. and the research is wrong.. the tree dies.. and you then have 6 footer ....

whatever.. just playing devils advocate ...

ken

Thanks for all the comments, especially the suggestion of using Bayer's, and yes, we do indeed have Meijer's stores!

Part of the reason I asked is that my mother has a Locust tree that was having a borer problem about 10 years ago. It was a nice shade tree in her back yard, not too big, not too small. Most of the people she called told her it should be cut down, etc. One guy suggested pumping systemic insecticide into the root area, which she decided to do.

Here we are about 10 years later, tree is still there and looks great. Looking closely at some parts of the larger branches, it looks like a madman with a drill went at it, but there have been no signs of any borers for the last 8-9 years.

The idea of using an insecticide that isn't very costly appeals to me, as I like the tree otherwise. I am in a small town in a rural area on the far west side of the county, and in some ways we are "forgotten" by the rest of the county, and we like it. Of course, there is also nothing left in the budget for tree removal.

Again, thanks!

vince

Alas, I checked our Meijer here on Saturday morning, since I had suggested the Green Light brand generic. Our store didn't have it this year, nor any of the Green Light line. Just the Bayer, at the normal approximately $20.

The other "cheaper" way to apply this stuff MIGHT be to do the math on bagged granules versus bottled. I have used the bagged granules on potted plants and shrubs before. The plant doesn't care how the AI is applied to the soil, it all works.

Finally, perhaps buying the commercial version, Merit 75WP, might also prove cheaper in the end. Once again, you would need to do the math and figure out how much you're actually paying for the AI by the ounce or pound.

Here is a link that might be useful: Merit 75WP at an Amazon vendor

For the most up to date information on Emerald Ash Borer and how to treat it, see this publication: http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/Publication%20Files/On%20Your%20Street/Urban%20Forestry/AshTree_EAB_Insecticide_Factsheet.pdf (this link is also shown at the bottom of this message in clickable format) which was written by a set of university experts from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. They all have a LOT of expertise over multiple years, and really do know what they are talking about. I treated quite a number of my ash trees last year, with great success. Use a product containing Imidacloprid, and apply it as a soil drench evenly around the tree within 18" of the trunk. The cheapest product I could find that is available to the general public is Dominion 2L, which is a 21.4% concentrate of Imidacloprid. Apply it at the rate of .4 fluid ounces(that is 4/10 fl. oz.) per inch of diameter of the tree you wish to treat. (YES, that is twice the rate on the label, and this rate IS approved for use on Ash trees against Emerald Ash Borers without harm to the environment if applied following the brochure.) Make sure you remove all leaf litter and other organic matter from around the area you will treat. The reason is that this other organic matter will absorb the imidacloprid (bind it up) before the tree can take it up through its root system. You treat ONCE A YEAR sometime around mid to end of April (at my latitude of 40 degrees north -- Columbus, Ohio). The treatment lasts for an entire year. It will NOT prevent mature grubs that formed the previous year from emerging the year of application, but WILL kill the larvae that emerge from their egg-laying during the year of application, which protects the tree that year from their feeding. By the way, a single bottle of Dominion 2L will cost about $26, and there is enough insecticide to treat about 64 cumulative diameter inches of trees (e.g., 3 trees that are 22" in diameter (69" circumference), and that's a pretty big tree to treat for $8 a year!). If your trees are smaller, then it will take less of the product and treat more trees for fewer dollars per application, or a single tree for a much longer time (years). Mix about 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of water per tree with the appropriate fluid ounces of imidacloprid, and pour it SLOWLY AND EVENLY around the very base of the tree where the greatest concentration of roots are. Pour slowly enough that it soaks in and does not run off. Then keep that area moist for the next 2 weeks (DO NOT WATER DAILY!) -- natural rains in the spring should suffice without any extra watering in most cases. ANY QUESTIONS? Please read the bulletin I gave a URL of below for MUCH more information on treatment options for Ash trees. By the way, only mix enough product to use immediately. Tightly cap the rest. Imidacloprid is generally safe for humans and other animals, so you should not have to worry about any cats, dogs, squirrls, etc. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Insecticide Options for Protecting Ash Trees from Emerald Ash Borer

Thank you very much for the update.

I am with Ken-IMHO replacing the tree would seem to be a better option. Not because of the cost of repeated application of a systemic pesticide, but because of the environmental impact of doing such. A large tree would require quite a large amount of these chemicals to be treated, not just once but on a routine basis. Systemic pesticides are not targeted at one particular species in this case the EAB, it targets any so a caterpillar feeding on the leaves or a bee collecting the pollen of said tree will ingest the pesticide and die. Colony collapse in bees may be linked to the use of systemics. Then there's always the contamination of the waterways from the runoff. Anyways, continual use of systemics on Ash trees will not guarantee their health but could be detrimental to other species.
On another note-they are not really that spectacular of a tree. I have 2 in my yard. I would replace mine in an instant for something more interesting.

Rhonda

Thanks for the info and a great link, Jerry. Looks like the first inklings of how this insect might behave once it has become endemic are being had.

And that's just it, Rhonda, the range of treatment options has gotten larger now, with the Emamectin products possibly giving us a solid two-year treatment duration of effect, and what's more, so long as the products are being applied carefully and in the manner prescribed on the label, there should be limited opportunity for much interaction with ground water, surface water, etc. But at the same time, it is yet another introduction of more pest control materials into the environment, the environmental costs associated with their manufacture, etc.

As to the value of the genus Fraxinus, even beyond "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" lies the inescapable fact that they make up huge part of the forests around us, both rural and urban, and that losing many of them is actually a large event. Personally, I've always had a strong admiration for white ash, Fraxinus americana. Not only do I consider it one of eastern N. America's finest hardwoods, the type of forest where it is found is also one of my favorites.

+oM

Systemic pesticides ...a bee collecting the pollen of said tree will ingest the pesticide and die.

To be clear, not all systemics are dangerous to bees.

Imidacloprid, however, may be. And neonicotinoids may be banned in the EU soon. Of course we won't do it because that would hurt profits.

I wholeheartedly understand the concern for overuse of pesticides in the treatment of some problems. The amount of imidacloprid used to treat ash trees pales in comparison to its use in treating farm crops by a million-fold! But, we all like to eat, and therefore think that its use in this regard is OK.
However, some of you bring up genuine concerns regarding possible effects on other insects, including bees. If you are concerned with this (and you should be for the sake of our environment), then you should read the link I have attached. It is the result of scientific research on the side effects of the use of imidacloprid in the treatment of Emerald Ash Borer on the environment, including waterways and insect populations.
A reading of it should allay your fears in this regard. If you have ever seen the devastation of the loss of thousands of very large ash trees, you might change your mind as to the reason why we should be saving this tree. Otherwise, the ash will go the way of the American Elm (to Dutch Elm Disease), and our native Chestnuts. I'm old enough to remember the majestic elms that lined many American streets. And, I've traveled numerous times through northwestern Ohio and southern Michigan and seen first-hand the immense number of skeletons of ash trees still standing along fields, in forests and in peoples yards.
To take down a large ash tree by a tree service will set you back about $600. To treat a single large ash tree on a yearly basis will cost you about $8, and best of all, you can do it yourself! Do the math. And that's without taking into account the cost to plant a replacement tree, nor the impact of losing a lot of shade for many years. As for me, I'll try to save as many of the large ash in my forest area around my home as I can. They are wonderful large trees. When you see a 36" diameter ash tree (that's the dimension 4' above the ground), it is a thing of immense power and beauty. It has a height of nearly 90 feet and has a limb span of at least 70 feet. Walk that off sometime in your lawn area to get a view of how large that really is.
However, if I had one or two SMALL ash trees on my property that had not yet grown up (10 to 15 footers), and it worried me all the time, I'd quickly cut them down myself and properly dispose of them (burning and chipping is great), and plant some other tree that has long-term value as a wonderful shade tree, with outstanding fall foliage.
Hope I've been of some help to those of you looking for facts, rather than gossip, regarding treatment of emerald ash borer and the minimal impact of treatment on the surrounding environment. For more good information, look around on the website www.emeraldashborer.info

Jerry

Here is a link that might be useful: EAB Treatment Side Effects Paper