Emerald ash borer found in Callaway, Cole counties

State and federal authorities say they’ve found an invasive, tree-killing insect in two mid-Missouri counties.

The Missouri Department of Conservation said Thursday that the emerald ash borer has been newly discovered in Callaway, Cole and nine other Missouri counties. The bug was first found in Missouri in July 2008 and has since been found in 53 counties and the city of St. Louis. It was found in Miller and Maries counties last year.

The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic green beetle that attacks only ash trees. The beetle’s larvae burrow beneath the bark and cut off the trees’ flow of water and nutrients, causing tree death. The conservation department says the bug kills more than 99 percent of ash trees it attacks within three to four years of infestation.

Conservation department forest entomologist Robbie Doerhoff urged ash tree owners in the affected areas to make plans to treat or move their trees now. Healthy trees can be treated with insecticide that must be reapplied, Doerhoff said in a news release.

More information about the ash borer is available on the department’s website.