Emerald Ash Borers and the Purple Triangles

[franklin]

I wondered what these purple triangles I see in the forests are. This year they are popping up in local parks. Well they are traps for Emerald Ash Borers which are destroying Ash trees.


http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2009/07/emerald-ash-borers-and-purple-triangles.html

Looks like they are to detect the borers. Haven't found any indication they kill them.

 

[bikerfish]

I've been seeing them for a few years now. too bad we can't hang up colored triangles to take care of every other hazard our forests face!

 

[franklin]

bikerfish wrote:
I've been seeing them for a few years now. too bad we can't hang up colored triangles to take care of every other hazard our forests face!

I've seen them in state forests for a few years but this year they are all over the place. I must have seen 50 today when I went up to upper Bucks.

 

[tomgamber]

It a big purple piece of fly paper. Easy to find. That's all. Serves it purpose.

 

[reds]

It is simply to monitor for the EAB. Last I heard there is no effective control for them. I did read recently that there is a parasite being released in western Pa that they have hope will control them. It would be a shame to lose the ash from our forest like they already have in Michigan and Ohio.

 

[RyanR]

Yes, they have been put up in earnest in an effort to find out the extent of any emerald ash borer infestations. First saw them begining a year or two ago but this year there has been a really widescale push to put them out throughout the Northeast. They've been put up in numerous places throughout PA, NY, & NJ and beyond that I've personally seen. I believe I heard they will then be collected sometime near the end of summer.

 

[flyfishermanj]

Have been seeing the triangles for a few years now, but just saw the bug for the first time a few weeks back. Neat looking bug, but very destructive.

JH

 

[jdaddy]

Thanks! Wife and I both were wondering what the hell they were. They are all over the area.

 

[franklin]

jdaddy wrote:
Thanks! Wife and I both were wondering what the hell they were. They are all over the area.

Someone must be lazy on the turnpike. They have em bunched up in easy access areas. Sometimes 4 or 5 within a few feet. Then nothing for miles. I'm going to have to stop at the one in the local park and look it over. Appears to have a number of different bugs on it.

 

[reds]

They have them bunched in ez access areas because that is most likely spot to find EAB. It is believed that it is most likely transported longer distances by firewood so the most likely spot to find it is rest stops and such along travel routes.

 

[franklin]

reds wrote:
They have them bunched in ez access areas because that is most likely spot to find EAB. It is believed that it is most likely transported longer distances by firewood so the most likely spot to find it is rest stops and such along travel routes.

Could be but the areas I saw them were not legal pull offs. They even had two on some poles. Can't remember seeing any at the rest stops but maybe they are back a ways and harder to see.

 

[jdaddy]

Where I am seeing them certainly has nothing to do with firewood/transportation.

 

[RyanR]

I've seen them in many different types of areas and I've seen them place singly as well as bunched in groups. I'm also sure some may have even been sabotaged. I wouldn't worry about it, I think they're putting them up in as many places and in as many different ways as they can in hopes of beginning to create an overall picture of the infestation.

 

[jjsjigs]

I have seen a lot of them on Route 6 in Wyoming County and on Route 29 near Bowman's Creek. I didn't stop to look at placards but most looked spackled pretty heavy with bugs.

 

[salmonoid]

reds wrote:
It is simply to monitor for the EAB. Last I heard there is no effective control for them. I did read recently that there is a parasite being released in western Pa that they have hope will control them. It would be a shame to lose the ash from our forest like they already have in Michigan and Ohio.

And we'll probably read, in a few years, about some other species of plant or animal that has been devastated by the parasite that was supposed to kill the EAB. Reminds me of the song of the woman who swallowed the fly, and eventually a horse, and died of course.

I saw one of the purple traps show up on my ride home this week from work, so they're monitoring here in Lancaster County. There was a front page article in our paper either today or yesterday, so it must have been a slow news day.

 

[franklin]

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/07/what_are_those_purple_bags_alo.html

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