As a master gardener, I and the group of master gardeners who are in Lyon County, are here to help the public with questions about your gardens, your trees and shrubs or other questions you may have regarding gardening in a general sense.

As we turn the page and move into spring, one of the biggest questions that are often on our minds is emerald ash borer. It is here in Lyon County, as we all know and during the last couple of months, it has been reported as spreading into other counties in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture as well as the University of Minnesota Extension want to make sure that residents know and understand all of the information that continues to come out about this invasive pest. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has a great website for details and locations of area infestations. www.mda.state.mn.us/eab

Since it is in our area, there are a few questions that I am often asked as well as some incorrect information that has been funneled around the area that with the right information we can get everyone on the same page. First, please refer to the above-mentioned website for information. This is your go-to website for all questions!

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has put together a great homeowner guide, which can also be located at https://www.mda.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/inline-files/EAB_Homeowner_Guide_web_0.pdf

This guide discusses what the risk would be in your area. Since we are in a county that we know it is here, our risk is high. Homeowners need to recognize what an ash tree looks like. This insect attacks black and green ash, of which we have a high population in our area. It does not attack Mountain Ash. This tree, while called an ash tree, is not in the same family.

Residents can treat for the insect. Reading the instructions on store bought insecticides is very important. The label is the law. Please note that depending on what product you choose, you may have to apply the treatment every year or every two years.

Residents can remove the tree and replace with another tree. We have several greenhouses in the area that can help you select the perfect tree for your yard. Remember, if replacing several ash trees; try to select different kinds of trees because if we replant all of our ash trees with the same kind of tree and a different insect comes along, we will be in the same place as we are now with ash trees. Variety is best.

Depending on where you live, you may be able to hire a certified arborist or forester to help you figure out what the best treatment would be for your situation. This may be particularly true if you have a very large ash tree in your yard.

If residents are choosing to treat on your own, reading the label is very, very important. Many of the treatment options have Neonicotinoids in them. This class of insecticide does not choose what insect to kill but will also kill bees and butterflies. Some of these insecticides are soil-applied which means you may need to keep family members and pets off the area for a certain amount of time as well.

Soil-applied drenches must be applied under certain conditions as compared to trunk injections, which need to be made by a licensed professional. Soil-applied applications cannot be made if there is risk of heavy rain, if the ground is frozen or saturated and anything that spills must be cleaned up immediately so it doesn’t wash down the drain.

Residents must know what the diameter or circumference is of their ash tree before treating. The homeowner guide can help residents determine how to best figure out that information.

The last question often asked, is how long do I need to treat the tree? Unfortunately, at this time, it looks like it could be for the life of the tree. Emerald ash borer, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture “could remain at damaging levels in an area for several treatment cycles or return to damaging levels in the future.” For more questions about your yard and garden, please email me at dejaegherefarm@gmail.com