Emerald Ash Borer brings threat near Shelby County

    COUNTY -- A new predator is preying on Ash trees and was recently found in Omaha and in Missouri Valley. The Emerald Ash Borer is moving through Iowa and has the potential to appear in Shelby County.
    “Now that we know it’s farther west, we know that it’s on the move,” said Tivon Feeley, forest health program leader for the DNR.
    Emerald Ash Borer is an exotic insect from Asia that only affect Ash trees. It’s flat, creamy white larvae stage can feed layers below the bark. The insect colonates at the top of the tree before moving downward. The early infestations can be found by woodpecker damage.
    “It’s the larva of this insect that kills the tree, by tunnelling under the bark and disrupting the tree’s flow of the water and the nutrients,” Feeley said.
    The Emerald Ash Borer had been in Iowa since 2010 and was found in the United States in 2002. Iowa currently has 32 counties where the insect has been confirmed.