Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: EAB, wasps and replacement trees
Emerald Ash Borer is alive and well. So many cities that planted all Ash trees are now faced with Ash tree removal and naked boulevards.
This is a good reason to use diverse plantings. Scientists working to contain EAB with progress using a type of wasp. The parasitoid wasp flies through the forest, heavy with eggs, following the scent of beetle infestation.
She locates a promising tree, lands and finds beetle larvae feeding below the surface. She drills through the bark and deposits her clutch. Within a few days, emerging wasp larvae will feast on the soft body of the unlucky beetle larvae. This is not the stinging kind of wasp. Read more from Entomology Today. There is still more research to do, but it sounds promising.
Another option- Ash tree replacements. Planting a variety of other trees. New cultivars of Dutch elm resistant trees include American Elms called ‘Princeton’ and ‘Valley Forge’ that come recommended by the U of MN and hybrids named ‘Accolade’ and ‘Triumph’.
Honeylocust, although considered messy, is one of my favorites with it’s chartreuse spring color changing to dark green over the summer.
The Gingko is a good choice but only if you buy the male tree. The female trees fruit is very messy and smells like used baby diapers. YUK.
