Netting Wasps To Help Fight Emerald Ash Borer
Scientists in Minnesota believe they've found an insect that can do what they haven't been able to do very well -- get rid of the emerald ash borer.
Watch CBS News
Scientists in Minnesota believe they've found an insect that can do what they haven't been able to do very well -- get rid of the emerald ash borer.
On a warm spring night, Anoka County homeowners are indoors, spending an evening learning about an insect that's invading their property.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has confirmed an emerald ash borer infestation in Anoka County. It says the destructive tree pest was found in an ash tree on private property in the city of Ham Lake.
Since she was a child, the giant ash tree that towered over Rebecca Robinson's small home offered a cool refuge during sultry Midwest summer days. It was the same down her tree-lined neighborhood's block and throughout much of Waterloo, a leafy Iowa city that's home to about 4,000 ashes.
Over the next eight years, the city of Minneapolis plans to remove about 40,000 ash trees from around the city in order to combat the Emerald Ash Borer, a tiny green bug that's responsible for taking down trees that have stood for decades.
Minnesota officials have confirmed trees in Olmsted County are infested with the destructive emerald ash borer. The state Department of Agriculture said Wednesday the county will join Hennepin, Houston, Ramsey and Winona counties in a state and federal quarantine to prevent the infestation from spreading.
Emily from St. Cloud wants to know what happens to all the sandbags after the flooding is over? If the sand isn't contaminated with floodwater, it can be used as fill for things like playgrounds and sidewalks. But in most cases, the sand is contaminated.
Over the next eight years, Minneapolis will remove 40,000 ash trees from parks and boulevards, part of a $9-million initiative that began in January to eliminate the emerald ash borer. The beetle has killed millions of trees in the U.S., and has invaded neighborhoods across the Twin Cities. Ralph Sievert, director of forestry for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, says the idea is to phase them out over a period of time.
Minnesota officials reported success Wednesday in the battle to slow the spread of emerald ash borers, saying stingless wasps released in Great River Bluffs State Park near Winona two years ago are reproducing, which is evidence they're attacking the destructive tree pests.
Before you head to the cabin this 4th of July, the Minneapolis Park Board has an important message. Do not bring any wood you may have chopped from downed trees. They say this is imperative in their fight to stop the spread of Emerald Ash Borer.
Gov. Mark Dayton has proclaimed this week Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week in Minnesota. The designation is part of a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the destructive nature of the tree pests, and to spread the word about the "three P's of EAB" -- Prepare, Protect, and Plant.
Minneapolis officials are warning homeowners against pruning their ash trees.
Three new emerald ash borer infestations have been confirmed – one in Minneapolis, and two in St. Paul, says the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Jason DeRusha replies to your cold weather questions.
An infestation of Emerald Ash Borer looks to dramatically alter the look of Fort Snelling Golf Club. Crews with the city's Park and Recreations Board were scheduled to begin removing about 200 ash trees from the golf course on Monday.
The emerald ash borer has found its way into La Crescent, Minn.
Minnesota is plotting its next steps in the fight to stop the spread of emerald ash borers.
At the University of Minnesota they're studying small wasps to see if they'll survive a Minnesota winter.
Experts will be gathering in La Crosse this week to share the latest information on invasive species.
The winner of Thursday's Celebrity Butter Carving Contest at the Minnesota State Fair? WCCO's very own, Rachel Slavik of course. She effortlessly churned out a replica TV and WCCO 4 logo for the title.
The tree-killing pest – the emerald ash borer – has done serious damage to trees at a local golf course. A new case, the first in 2012, was discovered at Fort Snelling Golf Club near the airport in Hennepin County.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture hopes trained sniffer dogs can become a new line of defense against the invasive pests, which threaten ash trees across the state and across the country.
Minnesota agriculture officials are encouraged by the initial results of a new way to find emerald ash borers.
In Minnesota, emerald ash borers usually strike the first of May, but not this year. They're actually striking now. Our warm spring has brought the tree killing beetle earlier than usual.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is preparing to hang thousands of traps across Minnesota in the hunt for emerald ash borer.
