The Northwest Herald is reporting that the Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Crystal Lake, according to a story by Jim Butts.
We have a mature ask right outside our bedroom window.
I remember my asking my father why he had not chopped it down as it was growing beyond sapling size.
He told me that his neighbor, Postman Walt Southern, 225 Meridian Street, had identified it as an ash and asked him to let it grow.
Time to figure out how to protect it.
The bugs are supposed to be dead now.
Photos were supplied by Algonquin’s Stan Gladbach, the first person in McHenry County to identify the bug.
Gladbach’s contacting me led to McHenry County Blog’s having scooped other publications with these stories:
Emerald Ash Borer Sighted on McHenry-Kane County Line
Algonquin Emerald Ash Borer Appearance Saga Continued
Democrats Invade McHenry County (A satire – for those literally minded.)
Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed in Algonquin, McHenry County Movement of Ash Tree Debris Quarantined
This is a very helpful blog about the Emerald ash borer
I have recently done a Senior research project on the Emerald Ash Borer and it is amazing that the problem is continuing to grow out of control. in 2009 congress approved for a little less than 35 million dollars for the prevention of the spread of the beetle. With over 131 million ash trees in Illinois alone it is hard to imagine what the actual devastation of this bug could be. I wonder how close the scientist are to producing a hybrid ash tree that is able to tolerant the beetle. I hope they come up with something before the ash trees have been destroyed.
How can we stop these bugs from causeing to much of a problem?