Department of Agriculture
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Divisions & Programs » Plant Protection & Weed Control
Insects
Regulation, Quarantine & Management
Emerald ash borer
Regulation
The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive species native to East Asia. The metallic-green beetle is a significant pest of ash trees, particularly in regions where the insect has been introduced. EAB was first discovered in North America in 2002 in Detroit, Michigan and Ontario. In Kansas, it was first found in Wyandotte County in 2012. Since its initial discovery, EAB has spread to 37 states, killing millions of ash trees and causing thousands more to be removed.
In December 2020, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published a final rule to remove the federal domestic EAB quarantine regulations. As a result, KDA has also lifted its quarantine effective March 1st, 2021 and instead resources will be diverted to education, outreach, survey and biocontrol.
Initially, local county-level quarantines were established to prohibit movement of ash trees and other related items, but those quarantines have been largely ineffective in preventing the spread of the pest. KDA will continue to survey and monitor for EAB, and will direct available resources toward non-regulatory options for management and containment of the pest, including collaborative efforts with industry organizations to educate communities about the threat of EAB and participation in biological control opportunities available through USDA-APHIS.
Order Rescinding Permanent EAB Quarantine
If you suspect emerald ash borer on your property and are not in one of the detected counties, please call (785) 564-6698 or e-mail your name, address, phone number and pictures of the suspect tree to KDA.PPWC@ks.gov.
All ash trees native to Kansas are susceptible to infestation by the emerald ash borer. Trees become infested when adult beetles lay eggs on the bark. Eggs hatch into larvae that bore into the tree, tunneling between the bark and wood, disrupting water and nutrient movement, eventually killing the tree. Emerald ash borer appears to prefer trees under stress but can kill perfectly healthy trees.
Emerald ash borer is responsible for killing hundreds of millions of ash trees across the U.S. and Canada. Financially, the U.S. will experience economic losses in the billions due to a decrease in landscape value and costs associated with the removal and replacement of ash. Preventing the beetle’s spread to uninfested counties is far more cost-effective than trying to manage it as an established pest. Further, a complete devastation of ash trees could have significant negative impacts on forest health. Dead ash cause gaps in the canopy that may provide opportunities for invasive species establishment. Native species that rely on ash as a host or shelter will also be negatively impacted.
Survey & Management
Read about Kansas Department of Agriculture's emerald ash borer survey work on our Pest Surveys page.
We aid United States Department of Agriculture-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service in their efforts to establish biological control agents to help manage emerald ash borer populations in Kansas. Three parasitic biological control agents are being released in Kansas; more information on emerald ash borer biocontrol.
You Can Help
Since the emerald ash borer's initial introduction into the United States, it has been spread to many areas of the country by campers and homeowners who unknowingly moved infested firewood to un-infested areas where the beetles emerged and infested new ash trees.
You can help slow the spread of the emerald ash borer into Kansas by not moving firewood across county lines. When buying wood for your home, buy only locally grown and harvested firewood. When camping, buy your firewood near your destination and burn all that you bring. You can read more about firewood safety on our site or at Don't Move Firewood.
Emerald ash borer educational materials, including ID cards and brochures, are available through the Kansas Department of Agriculture's Plant Protection and Weed Control program. Call us at (785) 564-6698 or e-mail your name and address to KDA.PPWC@ks.gov.
Contact us if you think you may have found symptoms of an emerald ash borer infestation in uninfested Kansas counties. If you suspect emerald ash borer in an EAB-positive county, please call your county extension agent or a certified arborist.
Additional Info
- A visual guide to detecting emerald ash borer damage
- Common Problems of Ash Trees
- Don't Move Firewood
- Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS)
- Emerald Ash Borer CSI: Your Ash Trees
- Emerald Ash Borer ID Guide
- Emerald ash borer ID video
- Emerald Ash Borer Information Network
- Find a certified arborist
Thousand cankers disease
Visit the KDA's Plant Diseases page.
You Can Help
Thousand cankers disease poses a serious threat to the health of black walnut trees, which are economically important for their nuts and lumber.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Forest Service and Kansas State University Research & Extension need your aid to help stop the introduction and to limit the spread of this disease in Kansas. We are deeply concerned that if it reaches the native range of black walnuts in central and eastern Kansas, we may lose this tree in our urban and native forests.
Currently, the disease is known to exist in the nearby states of Colorado and New Mexico. Colorado scientists believe that the disease was brought into its urban areas by moving infected wood either as firewood or for woodworking. Wood, bark, and chips with beetles and cankers are highly contagious and should not be moved off a site for three years. Do not bring in walnut wood from out-of-state sources. You can read more about firewood safety on our site or at Don't Move Firewood.
Thousand Cankers Disease of walnut is a progressive disease that kills a tree within two to three years after initial infection. Trees early in the disease cycle will initially show signs of decline with symptoms of yellowing and thinning. Advanced symptoms are falling branches with leaves still attached. The tell-tale signs of the disease manifests as numerous blank cankers about the size of a dime just under the bark. Access more detailed information on the disease from Colorado State University.
Additional Info
Firewood
Firewood and its Hazards to Native and Urban Trees in Kansas
Firewood that is untreated poses a substantial pest risk to the trees of Kansas. Firewood frequently originates from a tree that has died or in decline. Causes of tree death or decline are numerous but some are drought, excessive water and can include disease or insect pests. Wood intended for firewood from a tree which has compromised health due to an insect or a disease pathogen is problematic and a risk to spread pests to new trees and locations.
For the landowner, one of the best pest control measures is to remove the infected or diseased tree and then destroy the wood. However, many use the wood for firewood. What happens when the wood is used for firewood and is moved either short or long distances and not burned in the short term?
Firewood, until it is burned, becomes a carrier of the pest, disease or fungus which occurred in the tree before it was cut for firewood. A landowner or firewood dealer runs the risk of moving the pest from one location to another or infesting new trees in the immediate location where firewood stacks are located when the wood is stored or seasoned for a period of time. When the firewood is moved from its original area, be it short or long distances, pests can rapidly move into new locations and environments that under normal, natural spread circumstances may take many years to occur, if at all. This firewood movement can be by individuals or commercially.
In Kansas, firewood has been documented to have moved diseases and insects of oaks, elm, pines, ash and hickory to name a few. Pine wilt (see image to the right of the insect vector - pine sawyer beetle), oak wilt, Dutch elm disease, and many borers and bark beetles have been moved farther than their natural spread by firewood.
The State of Kansas and USDA quarantines regulated wood moving into the state from out of state sources and many campgrounds restrict the use of firewood to local sources. For more information please refer to the following webpages concerning Thousand Cankers of Walnut, Pine Wilt, and Emerald Ash Borer and their risk to moving pests. When camping, contact the campground for firewood restrictions before hauling firewood on your trip.
Guidelines for Buying and Harvesting Firewood
Buy or harvest locally. When you buy or harvest firewood from trees of local origin, then you reduce the risk of introducing a new pest into your neighborhood woodlands. Local origin is often defined as being within twenty to thirty miles.
Season wood at or near the site of harvest. Some wood such as oak may take a year to two years to season. This provides a lot of time for insects or fungus spores to migrate out of the wood into nearby woodlands. To avoid moving pests, season near the site of harvest but away from specialty trees of higher value. Seasoning wood directly on bare ground increases the chance of termite infestation and something to be avoided.
If you are buying firewood that is commercially sold, look for wood carrying a USDA emblem or state sticker/declaration regarding kiln drying or removed bark. Both treatments reduce the risk for movement of pests.
Trees with mushrooms, galls, darkened discoloration of the bark or wood, borer holes, or trees such as elms, oaks and pines that suddenly die are at a higher risk for moving pests. The wood from these trees should be avoided and when cut should be burned as soon as possible in an outside burn pile (check local regulations regarding burning and burn permits). Chipping or burying wood are other methods for disposal of these trees susceptible to higher pest risks. If intended for firewood, do not move the wood from the local area.
If moving to a new residence outside of your local area, leave the firewood at the old residence. The new residents will appreciate it.
Insect Watch Lists
Not Established
Asian longhorn beetle
Asian longhorned beetle is an invasive longhorned beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) that are 0.75-1.25 inches long with a glossy jet-black body and mottled with white spots. The long antennae are 1.5-2.5 times the body length with distinctive white bands at the base of each article. The tarsi and antennae may have a bluish tinge.
Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) are native to East Asia and first arrived in the United States in 1996 via infested wood packaging. Their larvae bore into and feed on a variety of tree species—many of which are common in urban landscapes and important to native ecosystems, in particular, maple and other hardwoods. Once a tree is infested, it will not recover. Adults are poor dispersers, so it is unlikely ALB will naturally enter Kansas anytime soon. As with many wood-boring insects, the most likely means of spread is human-mediated, e.g., by the movement of wood products (wood pallets, woodworking pieces, etc.) and firewood. You can read more at Don't Move Firewood.
Asian longhorned beetle is continuously on the radar of Kansas Department of Agriculture. Additionally, we ask that citizens are aware of this invasive pest and keep a lookout for this beetle. In Kansas, Asian longhorned beetle is commonly mistaken with cottonwood borer. If you suspect an Asian longhorned beetle citing, please submit a photo to KDA.PPWC@ks.gov.
Additional Info
Japanese maple scale
For information see Kansas Department of Agriculture Entomological News Volume 66, Issue 3
The red imported fire ant (RIFA) was introduced into the U.S. in the 1930’s at a port in Mobile, Alabama. The ants were likely infesting soil that was used as ballasts in cargo ships arriving from South America. Since its arrival, RIFA has spread throughout many of the southern and southeastern states—from Oklahoma south to Texas and east from Florida to Virginia. RIFA is also present in a few counties in California and New Mexico.
RIFA significantly impacts both humans and the environment. In areas of establishment, RIFA displaces native ant species and ground-nesting birds, mammals, and reptiles. They feed on and reduce the abundance of beneficial insects and the seeds and seedlings of native plants. Further, the ants affect crop yields and were observed girdling young citrus and pecan trees. RIFA is also a nuisance pest to humans; their painful sting causes a white blister to form at the site—an identifiable characteristic of RIFA stings.
RIFA is primarily spread through the movement of infested plant products and soil-moving equipment, e.g., mulch, sod, ornamental plants, hay bales, skid steers, etc. They can also spread naturally during mating flights and flooding events. RIFA detections have occurred in Kansas, and these isolated colonies were quickly eradicated.
Species that are commonly mistaken for RIFA include big-headed ants, spine-waisted ants, and common army ants (Neivamyrmex spp.). Ants that are overly aggressive and/or stinging should be reported to the Kansas Department of Agriculture. If RIFA is suspected, collect as many ants as possible—a physical specimen is required for a positive ID. Submit the ant sample to Kansas Department of Agriculture, C/O Plant Protection and Weed Control, 1320 Research Park Dr., Manhattan, KS 66502.
For more information on the red imported fire ant, visit:
USDA-APHIS: Imported Fire Ants
USDA-APHIS: Imported Fire Ant Quarantine Map
Virginia Cooperative Extension: RIFA
Spongy moths
Spongy moths get their name from the spongy, orange-tan egg masses they produce. In this photo, a female spongy moth is resting among a few clusters of eggs.
Spongy moth* is a group of moths that are highly polyphagous and destructive as larvae. The larvae feed on hundreds of species of plants, but oak is their preferred host. Oak trees support over 2,000 species, making the spongy moth a serious threat to existing ecosystems. The most notable species of spongy moth is the European spongy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar), which was accidentally introduced into the United States in 1869 by Étienne Léopold Trouvelot, an amateur entomologist who sought to develop a novel silk industry. Due to the poor mobility of adult females, a relatively effective European spongy moth quarantine has been implemented in the northeastern United States, along the Atlantic coast, and around the Great Lakes. However, due to the tendency of females to lay cryptic egg masses on various structures, such as vehicles and outdoor equipment, the likelihood of egg masses getting transported outside of the quarantine area still exists.
Interactive European spongy moth quarantine maps are made available by the United States Forest Service and United States Department of Agriculture-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service.
Other subspecies of spongy moth, including the Asian and Japanese spongy moths (L. dispar asiatica and L. dispar japonica), pose an even bigger threat to the United States. These subspecies feed on a greater number of plant species, and the adult females exhibit higher mobility compared to the European spongy moth. Due to strict regulation and inspection standards, these moths have been successfully intercepted and eradicated at North American shipping ports. No known populations exist in the United States.
In conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), the Kansas Department of Agriculture has been conducting annual spongy moth surveys in areas of interest–or areas that experience high interstate traffic–using pheromone-baited traps. Currently, no known populations of spongy moth exist in the state.
For more information, visit:
*Spongy moth became the new common name for Lymantria dispar in 2022. For more information on the name change, click here. While "gypsy moth" can still be seen in past surveys and reports, "spongy moth" will be used in future communications.
Spotted lanternfly
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) was first detected in Kansas in 2013. This invasive species of vinegar fly is a pest of fruit, in particular, various types of berry crops. Other species of vinegar flies will lay their eggs in damaged or overripened fruit, however, SWD females will insert their eggs into healthy, ripening fruit—making this pest especially problematic. Due to the fly’s quick life cycle, fruit infested with SWD maggots will soften and begin to rot within days.
SWD flies are small (approximately 2–3 mm long) with red eyes and yellow-brown bodies. Males are easily identifiable by a single black spot on the tip of each wing. Females have a serrated ovipositor (egg-laying organ). Baited traps can be used to monitor SWD. Timing of treatment applications is crucial for effective management of SWD.
For more information:
K-State Research and Extension
University of Minnesota Extension
Identifying SWD Damage (Video)
Walnut twig beetle
For information on Walnut twig beetle see the plant diseases page under Thousand Canker Disease of Walnut.
Box tree moth
The box tree moth is an invasive pest native to East Asia. The moth was first detected in the United States in Niagara County, New York in July of 2021. It is thought that the moth came into the U.S. from a nearby infestation in Canada. The box tree moth was confirmed in Lenawee County, Michigan (November 2022) and most recently in Hamilton County, Ohio (June 2023).
The box tree moth poses a significant threat to boxwood (Buxus spp.)—a popular ornamental landscaping shrub. The caterpillars feed on the boxwood leaves. When there are no more leaves, the caterpillars will feed on the bark, causing girdling of the branches. If left unchecked, the insect can kill the entire plant.
Common signs of box tree moth infestation include chewed, missing, or yellowing leaves and white webbing. The caterpillars are green with yellow, white, and black stripes. They have black spots along the body and a black head. Adult moths have a light and dark color form; some moths will have white wings with a brown border, while others have wings that are all brown. Both color forms have small, white “commas” in the middle of their forewings that help differentiate the moth from similar-looking species.
The moth spreads primarily through infested nursery stock. Check boxwood plants before purchasing and report any signs of box tree moth infestation to KDA.PPWC@ks.gov.
For more information on both tree moth, visit:
Box tree moth caterpillar and webbing
Box tree moth adult, light form
Box tree moth adult, dark form
Box tree moth caterpillars and light feeding damage
Established By Survey
Brown marmorated stink bug
Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) was first detected in eastern Kansas in 2011. BMSB has a wide host range, but the insect is particularly injurious to specialty crops (i.e., fruits and vegetables) and field crops (e.g., soybeans and corn). The stink bug is a significant pest in facilities such as organic orchards. BMSB is also considered a nuisance pest as it will congregate and overwinter in large numbers inside homes and other structures.
Brown marmorated stink bug can be distinguished from other native stink bugs by distinct white bands on their antennae, smooth/rounded shoulders, and banding on the abdominal margins.
Kansas Department of Agriculture has been conducting an annual survey for brown marmorated stink bug since 2018 using pheromone-baited sticky panel traps. These traps are set in unconfirmed counties to understand BMSB’s presence and impact across the state. Counties where BMSB has been detected per KDA record can be seen in the map below.
Visit KDA’s Pest Surveys page for more information on current survey efforts.
For more information on the brown marmorated stink bug, visit:
USDA: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
StopBMSB.org: Management of BMSB in US Specialty Crops
