Purple traps set to study emerald ash borer beetle

Peculiar purple traps are hanging high atop Vestavia Hills ash trees. 

But the “thing-a-ma-jigs,” as they have been called, are no cause for alarm, said Jeff Head, the USDA state plant health director in Alabama.

The purple contraptions are traps, he said, aimed at helping the U.S. Department of Agriculture in surveying for an invasive pest in the community — the emerald ash borer beetle. 

The beetle has killed millions of ash trees in 25 states across the nation, but thankfully, it has not been detected in Alabama, he said. The beetles, however, can be found in several of Alabama’s neighboring states. The exotic beetle, which originated in Asia, was discovered in southeastern Michigan in the summer of 2002, according to the Emerald Ash Borer Information Network. Studies have found that adult beetles only nibble on the ash foliage and cause little damage. It’s the larvae, feeding on the inner bark of ash trees, that causes the major damage to the tree.

The larvae’s feeding disrupts the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients, eventually leading to its death. It is believed the beetles probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes. 

There are three purple traps in the Vestavia Hills area and 75 in Jefferson County, Head said. The three-sided purple traps, about 3 feet tall, are made of a cardboard-like material. 

This year, the trap installation has been contracted out to Delta-21 Resources Inc. out of Knoxville, Tennessee. Local USDA officers will perform routine inspections and gather periodic reports on the traps to ensure they are being used correctly, Head said. 

This isn’t the first time the purple traps have been deployed in Alabama, he said. It’s common practice to survey areas to determine if the harmful beetles are present in an area. In Alabama, the surveys have been conducted for years. If ever the beetle’s presence is determined, Head said a number of regulatory procedures would have to take place.

“Thankfully, I haven’t had to become an expert in that,” he said. “Of course we don’t want them here. But if they are here, we want our traps to let us know.”

Sharon Lucik, public affairs specialist with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said areas where the beetle is found are placed under a federal quarantine. Because of the seriousness of the matter, Lucik said once a trap is believed to have captured one of the pests, it must first be positively identified by a number of different entomologists.

“The suspect beetle is sent to the USDA for identification by an entomologist and then for confirmation in another laboratory,” she said. “It has to go through a vetting process, because there are lookalike beetles out there.”

The purple traps, though they appear out of the norm, pose no risk to people or pets. But they are covered with nontoxic glue and are very sticky, so it’s best not to touch them, Head said. The traps will be in area ash trees through August. Residents are asked not to disturb them. 

For more information about the emerald ash borer beetle survey or to report a fallen trap, call 866-322-4512.