Emerald ash borer’s arrival in P.E.I. is only a matter of time, council says

The emerald ash borer has devastated tree populations across Canada, and the PEI Invasive Species Council fears it’s only a matter of time before the Island will be the next target.

The council is currently inspecting traps placed around ash trees on the island to catch this invasive species. The group hopes they will come up empty-handed, otherwise this will be the first time the insect has been spotted in the province.

Council coordinator Chase Guindon said the spread of emerald ash borers here may be slower than in other provinces because the trees are more spread out — but if the beetles are found, they could eventually wipe out nearly every ash tree on the island.

“When this insect comes and starts feeding on ash trees, it destroys 99 percent of the trees it infects,” Guindon said.

“This would be absolutely devastating to our ash tree population on Prince Edward Island.”

Chase Guindon, coordinator of the P.E.I. Invasive Species Council, says if the emerald ash borer gets here, it could destroy nearly every ash tree on the island. (Jane Robertson/CBC)

Guindon said it’s important to detect this species early because more money and resources will be needed to contain the pests once they spread.

“I suspect it will eventually get to this point,” he said.

“We’re trying to detect it as early as possible through trapping so we can respond, try to contain it and protect the trees that aren’t infected.”

cast the nets

The traps are prism-shaped, with three sticky edges to catch the emerald ash borer. Its color is bright green, which is very attractive to male beetles.

Council invasive species technician Clay Cutting said the traps worked in a similar way to the sticky paper you use to catch flies in your home.

And they also contain some other elements to attract insects.

A man stands in front of some trees.
PEI Invasive Species Council technicians place traps at heights on clay cutting trees where the emerald ash borer is most likely to be found. (Jane Robertson/CBC)

“This trap has certain pheromones that attract the emerald ash borer, the smell of the dying plant and the smell of the lady emerald ash borer,” he said.

“This trap is specifically designed to attract male emerald ash borers.”

The traps are hung on ash trees at heights where the emerald ash borer is most likely to be present.

Council staff set the traps in June, inspect them throughout the summer and will remove them later this month, Mr Cutting said. The insect only flies from June to September.

‘Buy local, burn local’

The emerald ash borer has already been spotted in other places in the country, such as Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The council says PEI could be next.

Emerald ash borer trap in a tree.
The emerald ash borer trap is shaped like a prism with three sticky edges. (Jane Robertson/CBC)

Guindon said one advantage of the island is that the Northumberland Strait acts as a natural barrier against the insect, as it is unable to fly into open water.

He said the pests are most likely to arrive on firewood.

“We always say ‘buy local, burn local,’ which means buy firewood from close to where you’re going to burn it,” Guindon said. “If you’re coming from an area where there’s emerald ash borer, definitely don’t harvest firewood from that area.”

This beetle can be identified by its green color, and its body is shaped like a capital letter D.

A glass vial containing the emerald ash borer.
Ash Borers are emerald colored, small in size with a capital D-shaped body. (Jane Robertson/CBC)

Ash trees infected with the emerald ash borer will have S-shaped scars underneath the bark of the wood.

Anyone bringing firewood to the island has one last option: to destroy it. Metal Boxes Many are located in PEI campgrounds where wood can be safely deposited.

“It’s safe there and there’s a little QR code on the bin that you can scan and get a free bundle of wood from any provincial park or national park,” Guindon said.

Trees infected with the emerald ash borer typically have small D-shaped exit holes about the size of a sesame seed, and may also have cracks in the bark or poor canopy health, the PEI Invasive Species Council said.