Ash Borers Not Found In North Country To Date

St. Lawrence and other Northern New York counties have another month to keep their clean bill of health against a predatory ash tree-killing insect.

Elsewhere in the state, however, that is not possible. The emerald ash borer showed up this summer in five New York counties - Steuben, Ulster, Greene, Livingston and Monroe, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

In June 2009, the insect appeared in Randolph, Cattaraugus County. But the north country ducked the bug in summer 2009 and this year may end up being a repeat, according to Jonathan Staples, state operations support officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service in Albany.

"There have been no detections in the north country yet, St. Lawrence, Jefferson Franklin, Clinton (counties) are still free of this pest at least for now," he said.

In St. Lawrence County, approximately 900 traps have been hung from ash tree limbs. The 14-inch-by-24-inch traps are purple and covered with a sticky and scented coating all so to capture the insect before it lays it eggs in the ash trees. Statewide, there are 9,000 traps - more than last year because of the Cattaraugus County infestation. The traps were hung during the week of June 6 and were checked starting July 19. So far, so good for the north country. "The 2010 survey in New York is winding down, the purple prism traps that you probably seeing hanging in ash trees around the state are due to be removed in the next month or so," Mr. Staples said. As for whether the traps will be out in 2011, that has yet to be determined.

"The decision to survey again next year has not been made, but most likely there will be follow-up in the counties that have positive detections," Mr. Staples said.