A highly destructive beetle that targets and kills ash trees, the emerald ash borer has been confirmed in Decatur County. EAB was first discovered in Iowa in 2010. Now 53 counties in Iowa have been confirmed with the presence of EAB.
An invasive beetle that kills ash trees, the emerald ash borer, has been confirmed in Ringgold County, making it the 52nd county in Iowa where this highly destructive insect has been found.
The emerald ash borer has been positively identified from a residential tree in Clarksville. Butler County now becomes the 51st county in Iowa where this invasive pest has been confirmed.
Emerald ash borer has been found in Benton, Buena Vista, Floyd, Howard, and Warren counties. More than half of Iowa's counties now have confirmed infestations.
The emerald ash borer can now be linked to 45 counties in Iowa as Fayette and Madison counties are the most recent to be added to that growing list. EAB is a destructive wood-boring beetle that attacks and kills all ash tree species. This exotic pest was first discovered in Iowa in 2010.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has relaunched its Horticulture and Home Pest News website, providing a one-stop location for yard and garden information.
Emerald ash borer, a highly destructive insect that attacks and kills ash trees, has been confirmed in Bellevue and Marquette. Native to Asia, EAB is responsible for the death of tens of millions of ash trees nationwide.
The bagworm caterpillar lives its entire life inside a tough protective case made of silk and camouflaging bits of foliage. Each caterpillar makes its own bag that it carries around as it feeds with the head and legs sticking out the open, top end of the bag. As the caterpillar eats and grows the bag is enlarged until by the end of the summer, what started as tiny pods only one-quarter inch long will have grown to almost two inches in length.
Common hitchhikers that do not harm the plants, but are commonly found in the pots of houseplants are sowbugs, millipedes, springtails and fungus gnats.
In the process of looking for (and not finding) the exotic emerald ash borer, another insect pest of ash trees has been observed: the ash/lilac borer, Podosesia syringae. This native insect is found throughout Iowa and also feeds on lilac and privet.
