Purple boxes in trees

I did a search for purple - nuttin'. So...today i saw a few purple boxes in trees along route 73 in Keene/Placid. No idea what the were, but thought they were perhaps insect collectors so "scientists" could determine the prevelance of bugs harmful to native trees. I have heard about those...

Can anyone confirm my suspicions or set me straight?

Any links to resources that would futher explain them?

Thanks all.

Rob

Yup, traps to see if any Emerald Ash Borers are in the area.

Link for more info on trap

Thanks for asking this. I saw them up there 2-3 weeks ago and meant to ask.

They have been here in western NY all summer. They first started appearing last year with many more this year. We also notice them around Blue Mt. Lake in July. Here is a brief summary that appeared in a local blog

"Emerald Ash Borers have killed 10s of millions of Ash trees in North America,
according to Sharon Lucik, a public information officer for the USDA in Michigan, where the beetle was first spotted in the U.S. in 2002.

No beetles have been found in New York, yet, with the borers being found in Canada and Pennsylvania, the USDA and state officials want to know as soon as it is spotted in the area, if ever, and make sure the area is quarantined, which means no wood can be transported from that area.

Apparently, the Emerald Ash Borer loves the color purple. The traps also contain a lure that smells to the beetle like a distressed Ash tree, such as one that has been damaged by man or mother nature. The beetles will attack a healthy tree, but are quick to head to a tree it suspects is in a weakened state.

The beetles like Ash and only Ash."


They started removing them this week but it will not be until next June before USDA releases the results. It is because of these little bugs that you can't bring firewood into state campgrounds.

Is this the same as the Asian Long Horned Beetle?

There are quite a few in the HIGH PEAKS and a few here in PA that I have seen in the last few weeks!

The Emerald Ash Borer is different then then Asian Long-horned Beetle which attacks a number of different hardwood species. It was first found in New York in 1996 and crossed into Canada in 2003 The only way to deal with an infected tree is to cut it down and then burn or chip the tree. Both are cited by Ontario Parks as cause for a ban on the transportation of firewood into their parks from outside the immediate area. We first saw the traps last year in the Bradford/Mckean area of PA it would seem to be just a matter of time before the Ash Borer arrives here in New York either from PA or Canada.


From the OntarioParks Blog http://www.parkreports.com/parksblog/?p=153

Bringing Your Own Firewood? Read This First!

If you bring your own firewood from home, you could spread insect and plant diseases that threaten the health of our forests. To prevent the spread of invasive species such as the Asian Long-horned Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer, Ontario Parks is asking visitors not to bring firewood which has originated from the following regulated areas:

"The Emerald Ash Borer is known for destroying ash trees, as the larvae feed on the inner bark of tree. The ash tree is destroyed because it is no longer able to transport water and nutrients. The insect has killed millions of ash trees across Canada, and can spread quickly through the transport of firewood.

We need to make sure invasive species like the Asian Long-horned Beetle and the Emerald Ash Borer do not cause significant damage to our parks."

No beetles have been found in New York

Click to expand...

The Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Ash trees in Randolph, NY as of about 6 weeks ago. Randolph is on Rt 394 in the southern tier.

I'm looking for a link to the Buffalo News articles but can't find them. If I do locate that article I'll post the link.

The guy I get my firewood from is in the southern tier, he told me he has to destroy all Ash trees on his property and also strip the bark off any tree before he removes it from his property.

Edit: Here's one link from July on the subject: http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/state/story/744028.html

Here was one near the Lake Placid marina. The box was too high and the label too small to read, so I took a picture and zoomed in so I could make it out.

Thanks

I have been wondering what these boxes are, I have three on my way to and from work and saw some in the ADK a month ago.

We saw some in the 1000 Islands on the NY side a few weeks ago, put up right near the dumpster, thx for the info, my wife and I wondered what those were..

Yes the DEC is monitoring the movement of these invasive beetles. They are an emerald color and have yet to make there way in the ADKS but they are right on the outskirts. This is one of the reasons they have the new law of "Burn it Where You Buy it" on firewood.

They are suppose to be hung on Ash trees on road sides throughout the Adirondacks, but that picture looks like it's hung on an Aspen tree. The reason they are hung on the roadsides is, the state has the right of way even on private property up to so many feet along the road systems, and most of the issues of the spread are caused by motorists and the transportation of firewood and logging.

There is an actual website dedicated to the Emerald Ash Borer, to help educate the public. The purple color has nothing to do with the attraction but simply the fact they are easy to find by the DEC to monitor the capture of any.

Saw one in the White Mtns in NH this past weekend too, they weren't lined up but just saw one hanging in a tree roadside...

Jay

rdl said:

The Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Ash trees in Randolph, NY as of about 6 weeks ago. Randolph is on Rt 394 in the southern tier.

I'm looking for a link to the Buffalo News articles but can't find them. If I do locate that article I'll post the link.

The guy I get my firewood from is in the southern tier, he told me he has to destroy all Ash trees on his property and also strip the bark off any tree before he removes it from his property.

Edit: Here's one link from July on the subject: http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/state/story/744028.html

Click to expand...

They were introduced through a DOT tree planting project to "beautify" some of the roadways in southern western NY.

D’oh.

The best laid plans oft go agley, or whatever that quote is.

Wow...was wondering the same thing...purple boxes?
They're in several western states as well.

Here is an excellent link with pictures (Wisconson Dept of Entomology)
http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/emeraldashborer/