Bio-control of Emerald Ash Borer in Canterbury

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) control project at Riverland this summer
The Town will cooperate with state agencies to run an Emerald Ash Borer biological control project at the Riverland over the next three years. At the request of UNH Extension Service for Merrimack County and the NH Division of Forests and Lands, the Town has agreed to allow the agencies to release two types of parasitic wasps that are natural predators on EAB in its native range. 

The wasps are tiny and won’t be a problem for people using the property. The Asian wasps, which have been extensively screened by US Dept. of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) to make sure they won’t create any unintended consequences, have been used for years in other parts of the country.

The strategy is to introduce the wasps along the leading edges of infested areas in hopes that they will slow the spread of EAB. The program starts with a 3-year effort: 2 years of introducing the wasps, followed by checking in the 3rd year to see if the wasp has established on the property and produced subsequent generations. The program is directed at protecting future ash trees that may regenerate after the initial EAB destruction of the current ash trees.

The Riverland has been selected for the biological control because it has a relatively low EAB infestation and many small ash trees. At least one abutting property owner has also agreed to participate. The wasps will be introduced by devices hung in trees, and released over two spring/summer seasons beginning in May or June this year. Evaluation in the third year will be done with “pan traps” and by cutting some small ash. The wasps feed specifically on EAB and won’t harm any native insects.

For more information EAB and biological controls, read this NHPR story: http://nhpr.org/post/pitting-wasps-against-beetles-foresters-play-long-game-against-invasive-pest and this article: http://extension.unh.edu/articles/Attack-Parasitic-Wasps-Controlling-Eme... the Extension Service.

If you have questions, contact Conservation Commission Chair Kelly Short or Town Administrator Ken Folsom