MONROE - Green and Lafayette counties will be part of a survey to look for signs of the emerald ash borer (EAB) this spring and summer.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) will be deploying approximately 3,600 purple, sticky traps in ash trees across the state.
Seventeen seasonal employees will begin setting out the traps for DATCP beginning the week of April 28.
Jeff Roe, urban forestry coordinator for the DNR's south central region, said generally about 20 percent of trees in urban areas are ash.
This "purple trap survey" for the EAB is part of a nationwide effort paid for by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Portions of 46 states will be included in the survey, using approximately 60,000 traps.
State researchers have relied on girdled and felled trees - stripped of bark - in numerous locations throughout the state to help track down the tiny beetle. While trap trees still are considered an effective method to detect EAB, the purple traps offer a less destructive and lower-cost option.
The purple traps will be hung from ash trees by hooks, out of the reach of pedestrians or passers-by. The three-sided trap is about two feet tall and a little more than a foot wide on each side. Each one is coated with a sticky substance that will ensnare the adult beetle. A Manuka oil lure also will be hung within each trap, to help draw nearby beetles to the tree.
In scientific studies, beetles were attracted to the color purple. The lure - derived from New Zealand's Manuka tree - is similar to the chemical compounds that ash trees release when they are stressed. The combination appears to be appealing to the emerald ash borer.
Traps will be inspected after several weeks, with workers looking for adult emerald ash borer beetles and refreshing the lure. In the fall, when the beetles no longer are flying, the traps will be collected and re-inspected for beetles.
Approximately three-fourths of the traps in Wisconsin will be placed in a grid pattern in 19 southern and southeastern counties, including all or parts of Green and Lafayette counties.
EABs already have killed nearly 25 million ash trees in several states and Canada. They have been spread widely due to the movement of firewood. To date, emerald ash borer has not been detected in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is home to more than 725 million ash trees in forest settings and more than 5 million in cities and villages.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) will be deploying approximately 3,600 purple, sticky traps in ash trees across the state.
Seventeen seasonal employees will begin setting out the traps for DATCP beginning the week of April 28.
Jeff Roe, urban forestry coordinator for the DNR's south central region, said generally about 20 percent of trees in urban areas are ash.
This "purple trap survey" for the EAB is part of a nationwide effort paid for by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Portions of 46 states will be included in the survey, using approximately 60,000 traps.
State researchers have relied on girdled and felled trees - stripped of bark - in numerous locations throughout the state to help track down the tiny beetle. While trap trees still are considered an effective method to detect EAB, the purple traps offer a less destructive and lower-cost option.
The purple traps will be hung from ash trees by hooks, out of the reach of pedestrians or passers-by. The three-sided trap is about two feet tall and a little more than a foot wide on each side. Each one is coated with a sticky substance that will ensnare the adult beetle. A Manuka oil lure also will be hung within each trap, to help draw nearby beetles to the tree.
In scientific studies, beetles were attracted to the color purple. The lure - derived from New Zealand's Manuka tree - is similar to the chemical compounds that ash trees release when they are stressed. The combination appears to be appealing to the emerald ash borer.
Traps will be inspected after several weeks, with workers looking for adult emerald ash borer beetles and refreshing the lure. In the fall, when the beetles no longer are flying, the traps will be collected and re-inspected for beetles.
Approximately three-fourths of the traps in Wisconsin will be placed in a grid pattern in 19 southern and southeastern counties, including all or parts of Green and Lafayette counties.
EABs already have killed nearly 25 million ash trees in several states and Canada. They have been spread widely due to the movement of firewood. To date, emerald ash borer has not been detected in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is home to more than 725 million ash trees in forest settings and more than 5 million in cities and villages.