An Emerald Ash Borer trap is installed at Iverson Park by Stevens Point Forestry Department personnel. (Contributed photo)

For the City-Times

As part of an effort to monitor for the presence of the highly invasive and destructive insect the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), the City of Stevens Point Forestry Department once again has hung purple, prism shaped box traps from ash trees across the city. The traps are set to detect the presence of EAB which is a metallic green beetle, and any insects trapped will be collected at the end of summer.

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an exotic beetle first found in the United States in Michigan in 2002.  Adult beetles cause relatively minimal damage, but the larvae cause devastation to ash trees by feeding on the inner bark, destroying the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients. To date, the insect has not been found in Portage County.  It was discovered in Wisconsin in 2008 in the community of Newburg, which is Washington County.  Currently twenty-one Wisconsin counties have detected EAB.  Emerald Ash Borer is believed to have first entered the U.S. via wood packing materials shipped from Asia.

The purple traps work by attracting Emerald Ash Borers through two different lures that hang inside the three-sided prisms. The purple color also helps to attract the beetles. The traps are made of corrugated plastic and coated with very sticky, non-toxic glue that captures all sorts of insects.

For more information on the emerald ash borer check out the Stevens Point Forestry Department webpage at stevenspoint.com/forestry.