(Radio Iowa) - Western Iowa is seeing more widespread cases of trees becoming infested with the emerald ash borer. The first case was discovered in Woodbury County last year and that’s where Lindsay Meylor works as a horticulture educator with the I-S-U Extension and Outreach.
Meylor says her office is now fielding frequent calls from people, wondering how to save their trees. If the tree is already in decline, she recommends taking it down and planting a different type. Meylor says insecticide is best applied before any signs of damage, and treatment -- which can cost hundreds of dollars per application -- will have to continue throughout the life of the tree.
The insect can kill a tree within two years. The pest first appeared in eastern Iowa in 2010 and has since been detected in 98 of Iowa's 99 counties, all but Emmett in northwest Iowa.