Setting traps in hopes of (not) catching ash borer; Annapolis, MD

Battling the ash borer • Top Stories (www.HometownAnnapolis.com - The Capital)

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Battling the ash borer
Purple traps in county trees are part of surveillance
By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer
Published 05/29/09
The war against the tree-killing emerald ash borer is rather slow going at times.
Pamela Wood — The Capital
Angelo Pate is behind the wheel of a large pickup with "Emerald Ash Borer Survey" decals on the sides. Next to him is Roger L. Barnes, checking a map and navigating through the streets of Annapolis.
In the back is Tim Cope, who peers out the window, trying to spot ash trees along the side of the road.
The three work in the plant-protection section of the Maryland Department of Agriculture, and they are the frontline soldiers battling a tiny green beetle that is quickly killing trees across the state and the country.
When Cope spots an ash tree in a good location, the three get to work placing a 2-foot-tall, three-sided purple trap high in the branches. The trap is outfitted with a sachet that smells wonderful to the ash borer, and its sides are coated with a sticky glue to trap any borers that might show up.
"We'll go back and check the traps every two weeks," Cope said, adding that if all goes well, they won't find any ash borers.