MDA warns emerald ash borer found near Brainerd; outlines quarantines, detection and treatment options

Jonathan Ossus, emerald ash borer technical assistance coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Plant Protection Division, said the department identified emerald ash borer (EAB) in the Brainerd area and urged residents and communities to begin planning management now. "We have nearly a billion ash trees in the state," Ossus said, noting the insect was first identified in Minnesota in 2009 and that 48 counties now have known infestations.

The finding near Brainerd in Crow Wing County prompted a review of biology, signs and responses. Ossus described EAB's life cycle, saying adult beetles are active from May through September, females lay on average 60 to 90 eggs in a lifetime (sometimes more), and larvae tunnel in the cambium, creating S-shaped galleries that girdle trees. He said the insect typically takes about five years from initial infestation to tree death and that…