Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus Planipennis), an ash tree-killing insect from Asia, was identified in Ohio in 2003. The department has developed a response plan, battling the pest through detection, regulation, and education to protect the state’s more than 3.8 billion ash trees.

EAB kills ash trees within three to five years of infestation.  Adults are dark  metallic green, 1/2 inch in length and 1/8 inch wide, and fly only from mid-May to September.  Larvae spend the rest of the year developing beneath the bark.

To date, infestations have been identified in Allen, Auglaize, Butler, Clermont, Cuyahoga, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Licking, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Paulding, Portage, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Union, Warren, Wayne, Williams, Wood, and Wyandot counties.

To reduce the risk of the insect moving to unifested parts of the state, the department has also placed six additional counties to the quarantine list: Champaign, Crawford, Darke, Preble, Shelby, and Van Wert