Borers in Chionanthus virginicus

Doggonit. I have a beautiful multi-stemmed chionanthus virginicus that I planted about 8 years ago and had been doing just splendidly until borers invaded this past summer. I've removed several infested trunks, but there are holes in a few more. I guess I'll try to stick copper wire up the holes to get the larva, but is there anything else I can do? I know it will resprout, but I'm concerned about preventing additional damage next year. Cussed things.

In better news, last weekend I found an aesculus pavia half price at a local nursery that is closing its retail business. Such a deal, but so sad that a good local nursery that carried such interesting plants is closing the retail side because it can't compete with big boxes selling gallon after gallon of callery pears and other over-planted crap.

Bummer, borers are nasty.

Is this what you have-
http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/landturf/insects/ash_lilac_borer/

Is it the common Ash Borer (Podosesia syringae) attacking your tree? If it is, I'd probably go for a pheremone trap. They're out there. About the only other thing I can think of that might provide some relief would be Esfenvalerate. You'd have to get the timing down right on when to spray but it might be doable as an alternative to pheremone traps. I thought it was sprayed in mid May and again in mid June however the article above suggests that insecticides should be sprayed in June and again 4 weeks later in July.

Although I didn't search this site for you, you might want to poke around for info-
http://ir4.rutgers.edu/Ornamental/Ornamentals.cfm

Shoot, I've got lilac borers! I thought they were wasps of some kind that picked a weakened lilac. I went to my county extension office to try to find out what I had and what to do, but found the employees exceedingly uninterested. One did point to a poster on a wall behind some filing cabinets. I couldn't get close enough to read it, but the picture didn't look right. (It did have print large enough to read asking for that insect to be reported immediately to the State.)

Is this the same Ash borer that has been killing all the Ashes in the Midwest? Should I report it? Should I destroy the Lilac in any special way? (I am going to cut it down. It had a long but hard life before the borer attack.)

No, that would be Emerald Ash Borer which is Agrilus planipennis. Podosesia syringae generally only infests plants that are dieing or plants that are environmentally stressed. EAB is considerably less picky in that it is equally at home in healthy Ash as well as Ash that is dieing or stressed.

My dad keeps getting borers in his dogwood tree and a smoke bush. He's uses something called Cargon, not sure if that spelling is correct. Both plants have to get whacked down about every 2 years. Someday maybe his dogwood will actually be a tree. I'm constantly amazed at all the woody plants that are attacked by borers.

I did find this at http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/ornamentals/borers.html

A newer and supposedly very effective control for any borer is a soil drench systemic called Merit.

Scott

I was under the impression Merit (imidacloprid) was used as more of a prophylactic? That's a Bayer product isn't it? Although I don't think the Bayer Advance Lawn product is restricted use, aren't some of the other formulations?

editing to add it's not appearing as restricted use.

This message was edited Nov 29, 2006 12:03 AM