May 29, 2008

LANSING, MI - It’s purple, it’s sticky, and it hangs in ash trees - what is it? It’s a “trap” specifically designed to catch emerald ash borer (EAB) adults and it’s the latest tool in the battle against the beetle.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA), in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), will use the purple traps in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) to detect EAB, an invasive pest that is deadly to ash trees. U.P. residents and visitors will start seeing the purple traps going up in June and will be removed in late August.

“It’s important to note that these purple traps will not attract EAB to an area nor does a trap located in your community or on your property mean EAB is present,” said Kenneth Rauscher, director, MDA’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division. “The traps are designed to detect the pest and help create a national footprint of where the beetle is located.”

EAB is an exotic insect native to Asia that attacks ash trees. In its larval stage, EAB feeds undetected under the bark of ash trees, disrupting water, and nutrient flow - ultimately killing the trees in three to four years. First discovered in 2002, the borer is responsible for the death or damage of approximately 20 million ash trees in the Lower Peninsula.

The purple trap is a three-dimensional triangle, or prism, made out of thin, corrugated, purple plastic coated with non-toxic glue on all three sides. The purple traps are about 24 inches long and hang vertically in an ash tree or are secured to the trunk of an ash tree. To increase the attractiveness of the trap, it is baited with a lure (Manuka oil). The purple traps will be primarily hung in ash trees located within a 100-mile band in the six most eastern counties of the U.P. In addition, purple traps will be hung at high-risk locations (campgrounds, sawmills, etc.) in the central and western counties of the U.P.

“MDA is asking for the public’s cooperation to ensure these purple traps are left undisturbed,” said Rauscher. “It’s essential that the traps are left alone in order for them to be effective in identifying where the pest is located.”

If you see a purple trap on the ground or damaged, please call MDA’s toll free number 1-866-325-0023 or USDA-APHIS at 1-866-322-4512.

Individuals or businesses found violating the state’s EAB quarantine are subject to fines ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 and jail time of up to five years for moving regulated ash materials, including all species of hardwood firewood.

Additional information about EAB and a map of the quarantine boundaries are available at www.michigan.gov/eab or www.emeraldashborer.info.