A Barney trap is a three sided, purple trap (the same color as a friendly dinosaur) covered in sticky glue that attracts, captures and holds the Emerald Ash Beetle (EAB). John Gibson and Jay Hartman, members of the Moorestown Tree Planting and Preservation Committee, hung Barney traps high in the branches of several ash trees in public parks around town. They will be taken down and inspected in the fall, to determine if the EAB has reached our town.
The EAB is an invasive pest from Asia that feeds on and kills ash trees within three years after infestation. Presence of the emerald ash borer typically goes undetected until trees show symptoms of being infested — usually the upper third of a tree will thin and then die back. This is usually followed by a large number of shoots or branches arising below the dead portions of the trunk. Other symptoms of infestation include: small D-shaped exit holes in the bark where adults have emerged, vertical splits in the bark, and distinct serpentine-shaped tunnels beneath the bark in the cambium, where larvae effectively stop food and water movement in the tree, starving it to death.
EAB has killed millions of ash trees in IL, ID, KY, MN, MO, NY, Ohio, Ontario, PA, TN, Quebec, VA, WV, and WI. There is no government eradication program. It’s up to each individual property owner to decide what to do if a beetle is found on his or her property. The options include doing nothing, spraying a pesticide or removing the infested trees.
The Barney traps hung by the Tree Committee last summer found no EAB’s in our area. The Committe will continue to monitor the progress of the EAB by hanging and inspecting the traps annually to protect our ash population. If you have any questions, please contact the Tree Committee at moorestowntrees@gmail.com.
