ST. PAUL, MN (KDAL) – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service have completed a joint biological effort to slow the spread of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in the state.
The program involved the release of three species of non-stinging wasps that target the ash borers at different life stages. The wasps will not negatively impact other species or the environment and do not harm humans.
The wasp program began in 2010 and has expanded to 55 release sites in EAB infested areas of the state.
This year, over 5 thousand wasps were released in a 200 acre area of the Chippewa National Forest to total 84 hundred over the last two summers. There are currently no new EAB infestations within the forest.
EAB was first discovered in the state in 2009 and kills ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk.
Minnesota forests are home to an estimated 1 billion ash trees and many more are located in communities around the state.
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