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Emerald Ash Borer Insecticide Treatment Options

Updated September 15, 2020
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John Ball

Professor, SDSU Extension Forestry Specialist & South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Forest Health Specialist

Emerald ash borer impact:

Ash trees are popular trees in city and town in South Dakota. They are fast-growing trees that tolerant poor soils. Since they are so adaptable, ash is now about 30% of the mature trees in many South Dakota communities.

In 2002, an insect was discovered in Michigan killing ash trees. It was soon identified as the emerald ash borer, an insect native to China. Since then the insect and its destruction has spread to the many states and resulted in the loss of millions of ash trees. Emerald ash borer was confirmed in South Dakota in 2018 and is expected to spread across the state over the next two decades.