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Article published Wednesday, April 26, 2006 Please note there is an eduational session offered by Monroe county MSUE this evening, Fri April 28 at 7 pm. The MSU Extension office in Monroe County is sponsoring an ash symposium at 7 p.m. Friday in Monroe County Community College's Whitman Center, 7777 Lewis Ave., Temperance. Admission is free. Information: Jennie Stanger, MSU's extension educator in Monroe County, at 734-240-3170. Here is an idea for alternative control of the ash borer. This method is not being endorsed by MSU but may be something to try if you have ash trees that may be infected. This idea is not being endorsed by MSU. Can garlic help battle emerald ash borers? Garlic. This is one bulb that really gets around. Like onions and leeks, it is part of the Allium genus. Garlic can be roasted, chopped, sliced, crushed, or even eaten whole. Some people say garlic can be used to treat ailments, including acne and high cholesterol. Eating a lot of it is said to be a way to repel mosquitoes and vampires, not to mention other humans. Consuming a lot of very strong raw garlic also can cause digestive-tract irritations. Could the plant also be an irritant to the region's aggressive emerald ash borer? A Sylvania reader thinks so. Susan Searos has applied a garlic spray to her trees and says it has worked wonders. A California manufacturer claims that its garlic juice fights off many other pests. The maker of Garlic Barrier says it has case studies in which its product has fought off aphids, mosquitoes, and beetles. Some beetles, though, such as Japanese beetles, are little affected by Garlic Barrier. Norm Sutcliff, national sales manager, says the manufacturer's research has focused on nut trees and other crops. "We haven't done any specific studies on the emerald ash borer at this time, but we have tested other borers with positive results." Many scientists are skeptical of garlic's ability to battle the emerald ash borer. Amy Stone, an Ohio State University extension agent in Toledo, says the testing is just beginning. "It will take years for us to find ways to tackle this borer," she says. "We have had two test plots around Detroit that have been monitored for three years since the outbreak appeared. They are looking for which trees the emerald ash borer prefers as a host." She says OSU scientists will begin to study another plot of ash trees in downtown Toledo later this year. It takes years, Ms. Stone says, because scientists have to monitor a long list of criteria. "Any scientific study takes time," she says. "We are always looking for ways to attack the emerald ash borer. Since we are losing so many trees so quickly, scientists feel an urgency to pinpoint something as quickly as they can. They will look closely at things that already have a track record of having some impact on insects that are in the same genus as the emerald ash borer." The Toledo plot of ash trees to be studied includes many trees native to China, which is the native region of the emerald ash borer. "If we are going to find a solution, it will be in the trees that are already building a resistance to the borer naturally," Ms. Stone says. Michigan State University researchers are looking at injections, drenches, and sprays. So far, Ms. Stone says they haven't found anything that is 100 percent effective. "We are always going to have pressure from the insect that is continually growing in the tree canopy. Some trees can handle about a 20 percent infestation of some insects and survive. We know right now that ash trees can't survive when they are weakened by that large of an emerald ash borer population," she says. "Scientists might look into herbal and organic alternatives like garlic down the road." The MSU Extension office in Monroe County is sponsoring an ash symposium at 7 p.m. Friday in Monroe County Community College's Whitman Center, 7777 Lewis Ave., Temperance. Admission is free. Information: Jennie Stanger, MSU's extension educator in Monroe County, at 734-240-3170. Here is an interesting persepctive of possible alternatives to control the ash borer. Please note they have not being endorsed by MSU, there is just a workshop on Ash borer this evening to offer an update on the sitaution and offer possible options to control the insect. Article published Wednesday, April 26, 2006 Can garlic help battle emerald ash borers? Garlic. This is one bulb that really gets around. Like onions and leeks, it is part of the Allium genus. Garlic can be roasted, chopped, sliced, crushed, or even eaten whole. Some people say garlic can be used to treat ailments, including acne and high cholesterol. Eating a lot of it is said to be a way to repel mosquitoes and vampires, not to mention other humans. Consuming a lot of very strong raw garlic also can cause digestive-tract irritations. Could the plant also be an irritant to the region's aggressive emerald ash borer? A Sylvania reader thinks so. Susan Searos has applied a garlic spray to her trees and says it has worked wonders. A California manufacturer claims that its garlic juice fights off many other pests. The maker of Garlic Barrier says it has case studies in which its product has fought off aphids, mosquitoes, and beetles. Some beetles, though, such as Japanese beetles, are little affected by Garlic Barrier. Norm Sutcliff, national sales manager, says the manufacturer's research has focused on nut trees and other crops. "We haven't done any specific studies on the emerald ash borer at this time, but we have tested other borers with positive results." Many scientists are skeptical of garlic's ability to battle the emerald ash borer. Amy Stone, an Ohio State University extension agent in Toledo, says the testing is just beginning. "It will take years for us to find ways to tackle this borer," she says. "We have had two test plots around Detroit that have been monitored for three years since the outbreak appeared. They are looking for which trees the emerald ash borer prefers as a host." She says OSU scientists will begin to study another plot of ash trees in downtown Toledo later this year. It takes years, Ms. Stone says, because scientists have to monitor a long list of criteria. "Any scientific study takes time," she says. "We are always looking for ways to attack the emerald ash borer. Since we are losing so many trees so quickly, scientists feel an urgency to pinpoint something as quickly as they can. They will look closely at things that already have a track record of having some impact on insects that are in the same genus as the emerald ash borer." The Toledo plot of ash trees to be studied includes many trees native to China, which is the native region of the emerald ash borer. "If we are going to find a solution, it will be in the trees that are already building a resistance to the borer naturally," Ms. Stone says. Michigan State University researchers are looking at injections, drenches, and sprays. So far, Ms. Stone says they haven't found anything that is 100 percent effective. "We are always going to have pressure from the insect that is continually growing in the tree canopy. Some trees can handle about a 20 percent infestation of some insects and survive. We know right now that ash trees can't survive when they are weakened by that large of an emerald ash borer population," she says. "Scientists might look into herbal and organic alternatives like garlic down the road." The MSU Extension office in Monroe County is sponsoring an ash symposium at 7 p.m. Friday in Monroe County Community College's Whitman Center, 7777 Lewis Ave., Temperance. Admission is free. Information: Jennie Stanger, MSU's extension educator in Monroe County, at 734-240-3170.