Researchers Confirm Emerald Ash Borer in Buffalo

Rochester, N.Y. — Cornell researchers have confirmed two new spot infestations of the emerald ash borer in New York state: one in South Buffalo, in Erie County for the first time, and the other in Rochester, in Monroe County, where the ash tree-destroying beetle was first seen in 2010.

The green iridescent insects have infested no more than one dozen trees at each location, though experts are unsure how long the beetles have been there.

The emerald ash borer, first detected in New York state in 2009, has been detected in eight counties, mostly in western New York, and has devastated tens of millions of ash trees throughout the Midwest. The ash borers can kill a tree in two to three years, incurring removal costs of more than $1,000 per infested or dead tree.

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