It was thought that invasive, highly destructive emerald ash borer (EAB) beetle will not arrive in the Eastern Shore, but officials got wrong as the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has confirmed the EAB presence in four more counties, including two on the Eastern Shore.

Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder said, “This invasive pest has been aggressive and unrelenting, and we have worked very hard just to slow it down. We will continue to look for new ways to attack this pest and protect these ash trees”.

Now, the affected counties will be placed under a federal EAB quarantine. The EAB is a wood-boring beetle and is native to China and eastern Asia. It is considered that the beetle reached in North America through common wood packing materials.

The beetle was first discovered in America in 2002 and in Maryland, it was found in 2003. Since then, the EAB has spread quite rapidly in many areas of the nation. Its spread has brought killing, damaging and defoliation of thousands of ash trees.

Ash trees are one of the most common found in the United States. In Baltimore, it is the most common tree. In order to tackle the beetle, the MDA started releasing biocontrol agents in 2009. This year, the MDA will release them again in at least four areas- Charles, Anne Arundel (2) and Howard counties.

Since 2009, the MDA has released over 210,000 parasitoids in eight counties and will be released in the future as well.