Traps find no evidence of ash borer in NNY

Northern New York apparently has been spared an onslaught by the emerald ash borer.

Earlier this summer, about 900 traps were hung in St. Lawrence County in an effort to contain the ash tree-killing insect. And while it has appeared in Steuben, Ulster, Greene, Livingston and Monroe counties, it has yet to be reported in the north country, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Now there are questions of whether the traps will appear in 2011.

In June 2009, the insect appeared in Randolph, Cattaraugus County, before heading north. Despite concerns the ash borer would appear in the north country that summer, it never arrived, said Jonathan Staples, state operations support officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Albany.

"There have been no detections in the north country yet. St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Franklin, Clinton (counties) are still free of this pest, at least for now," he said.

In the north country, traps were hung from ash tree limbs. The traps — 14 inches by 24 inches — are purple and covered with a sticky and scented coating, designed to capture the insect before it can lay its eggs in ash trees.

Statewide, about 9,000 traps were hung — more than in previous years because of the Cattaraugus County infestation. The traps were hung during the week of June 6 and were checked starting July 19. They are scheduled to be removed this month.

Mr. Staples said he's unsure whether the traps will be set again next summer.

"The decision to survey again next year has not been made, but most likely there will be follow-up in the counties that have positive detections," he said.