Invasive Species 📍

Article and stories about invasive species in our state and other places.

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Will insecticides targeting EAB harm woodpeckers?

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Will insecticides targeting EAB harm woodpeckers?

This is unlikely. Woodpeckers feed on live, mature EAB larvae, mostly in late fall, winter and early spring. Many of these mature larvae overwinter in the nonliving, outer bark where they will not be exposed to systemic insecticides. Imidacloprid, dinotefuran, and emamectin benzoate are much more toxic to insects than to birds that have been tested, and insecticide concentrations that have been measured in treated trees are far below the levels known to be toxic to birds. An EAB larva that has been killed by insecticide will desiccate quickly and decompose. There is little evidence that woodpeckers will feed on larval cadavers. Furthermore, living larvae that are suitable prey for woodpeckers will not have been exposed to a lethal dose of insecticide, and these products do not bio-accumulate in animals in the way that fat-soluble insecticides such as DDT do. In Michigan and Ohio, where EAB has been established for several years, many ash trees have been treated with systemic insecticides. There have been no reported cases of woodpecker poisoning caused by insecticides applied for control of EAB.

Increase in Woodpecker Populations Linked to Feasting on Emerald Ash Borer

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Increase in Woodpecker Populations Linked to Feasting on Emerald Ash Borer

The scourge of forests, the emerald ash borer, or EAB, is usually described with words like “destructive” and “pest.” A recent study based on data collected by citizen scientists suggests that one more adjective might apply, at least from a bird’s perspective: “delicious.”

In a study published this week in the journal Biological Invasions, U.S. Forest Service entomologist Andrew Liebhold and Cornell University scientist Walter Koenig and others document how an EAB invasion fueled a population boom for four species of birds in the Detroit area.

Warren County survey shows emerald ash borer infestation has likely spread | Adirondack Explorer

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Warren County survey shows emerald ash borer infestation has likely spread | Adirondack Explorer

It appears more than just a few ash trees at the Warren County boat launch in Chester are infected with the emerald ash borer, surveyors are finding.

The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) and the state Department of Environmental Conservation began checking ash trees within a five-mile radius of the boat launch after the invasive insect was found earlier this month. It was the first known infestation in the Adirondack Park.

Dial 911 for invasive species?

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Dial 911 for invasive species?

I think possesses of an invasive species should be a felony. You should be able to dial 911 and the police should come with with the lights and sirens on and they remove the invasive species similar to narcotics.

Sounds silly? A fire might cost $250,000 in damages, a murder might cost $1 million in loss earnings or less for low income persons. A single invasive species not removed immediately could cost farmers, forest owners, and land owners billions. Invasive species should get the same attention from law enforcement and first responders as fire and crime.