Emerald Ash Borer

This viewer wants to know if there is something that can be applied around the ash trees to keep them from getting Emerald Ash borer (EAB)?

We don't have EAB in Nebraska yet. Right now there might be advertisements out for treatments, but we don't need to do it now.  Let's wait until we get news about how close it is to the area, and perhaps, you never know, it may not become as problematic in Nebraska as it is back east. Some of the natural enemies may take over and help to subdue it. We'll just have to wait and see. Otherwise it's a useless expense to do anything now.

Advertised treatments include treating the soil or putting something in the dripline around the tree.  The product is watered in, then the root system takes it up.  This would be a preventative treatment for EAB. There's some truth to that,  

It may be one year, or it may be three years before it gets here. It may also be tomorrow. With everything going the way it is, it might be two or three more years before it arrives in Nebraska. The closest find to Nebraska has been extreme southeast Missouri and a new confirmation along the Wisconsin/Iowa border. In other words, we have the distance from the eastern Iowa border before is reaches us.  That's our pad right now. So we'll see what happens.

For more information on EAB, including a map of current infestations, please visit the web site below.

Emerald Ash Borer