Second Illinois emerald ash borer infestation confirmed in Wilmette

Editor’s note: This article is from the archives of the MSU Crop Advisory Team Alerts. Check the label of any pesticide referenced to ensure your use is included.

Editor's Note: This article was orginially published by the Illinois Dept of Ag in a news release. It has been submitted for our use by Bert Cregg, MSU Horticulture and Forestry.

Just one month after the first Illinois emerald ash borer case was detected in Kane County, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) has confirmed a second infestation in the Chicago area. IDOA announced that a beetle found in the yard of a Wilmette home, a north suburb of Chicago, is an emerald ash borer, a destructive, non-native pest that feasts on ash trees.

A resident discovered the beetle earlier this week and alerted the Village Forestry Department. After foresters examined the suspect tree they immediately contacted the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS). Thebug was sent to the USDA to its lab in Romulus, Michigan, for identification which notified IDOA nursery inspectors.

Inspectors visited the residence where the beetle was found and discovered several infested ash trees. Upon initial survey, IDOA and Village Forestry officials found suspect trees in approximately a five-block area with as many as 16 trees exhibiting symptoms of emerald ash borer infestation. A more extensive survey of the area will begin to assess the full extent of the infestation.

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