Friday, May 28, 2010

A pain in the ash

From the Daily News:

The feds are placing 9,800 traps across the state this month to catch a small but nasty beetle that could kick New York's ash.

The emerald ash borer first surfaced in the state last June - wiping out 39 ash trees in upstate Cattaraugus County. It hasn't been seen in the state since, but the feds aren't taking any chances.

They are putting purple box traps in ash trees - the pest's prey - in 42 counties, but none in the city, said U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Sharon Lucik.

So far, city trees are more vulnerable to the Asian long-horned beetle, which comes in through shipping.

About 4% of city trees are ash, and there are no plans to add more.

"We do not plant ash trees anymore because of the impending threat of the emerald ash borer," said Tim Wenskus of the forestry division of the city Parks Department.

Emerald ash borers first surfaced in Michigan in 2002 and have since spread to 14 states, where they have killed tens of millions of trees.

"It's pretty much on the way to eliminating ash trees in Michigan and Ohio. We are suspicious that it may be coming into New York City environments," Carlson said.

He's relying on dozens of park workers to search city trees for any cases in the five boroughs.

"The probability of a large infestation is very low because the people who work for New York City parks know what they are looking for," he said.


Here's how to identify an ash tree.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well every time Bloomtard opens his mouth he makes an ash of himself. Let's sic the insects on him!

Anonymous said...

where do these ash trees come from? Are they asian imports? The bugs that feed on them all seem to be.

Anonymous said...

Maspeth Mom says...

Crappy can you post a photo of an ash tree - so we dont inspect every tree for this bug?

Anonymous said...

Yep....first the Asian Long Horn Beetle...now this.

Maybe somebody is perpetrating some acts of eco-terrorism ???

Like....destroying our forests containing hardwood species (that's what both these insects attack) and we've been economically raped.

Suicide bombing is already becoming old news....the work of deviant thugs. This might be a more "sophisticated" approach. I sincerely hope not.

But here's the history:
9/11 WTC, Bio-terrorism (Anthrax), blow up (???) an off shore oil well in the Gulf (who knows what really happened there yet), maybe now some ecological attacks.

The possibilities are endless.

It all adds up to ruining a country's economy!

I don't trust the Chinese as far as I can spit!

And keep your tainted milk, lead painted toys in your own under-civilized country!

Out government had better start running a tighter ship!

Anonymous said...

"The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis or Agrilus marcopoli and EAB) is a green beetle native to Asia"


Why is it that everything destructive comes from Asia???? What a shithole of a place that must be.


SARS, Bird Flu, Tiger Mosquitos, Ash Beetle, long horned Beetle, etc.

Anonymous said...

I blame those damned illegal immigrants!!

Anonymous said...

Those insects ARE illegal immigrants!

Anonymous said...

Yes those insects are illegal, they cross the border hidding inside a mexican pocket.

Anonymous said...

*Crossed
*Hidden
Sorry my mistake.

Anonymous said...

Yes those insects are illegal, they crossed the border hidden inside a mexican pocket.
_____________________________________________________

Si

Mayor M. Bloomroach said...

Don't bug me!

Anonymous said...

Let's borrow some more Chinese money to eradicate this Chinese pest!

Noah Dinero said...

There's such a thing as American money?

Klink Cannoli said...

Anonymous said...
Those insects ARE illegal immigrants!
==========================

Now, now. That's undocumented immigrants.
Did you miss your sensitivity classes this year? ;@)

Adolf Bloomhitler said...

@ Klink

Now, now. That's undocumented immigrants.
Did you miss your sensitivity classes this year? ;@)

May I zee your paperz, pleaze?