DES MOINES (AP) — State agricultural officials say an insect that’s killed millions of ash trees has been found in two more Iowa counties.
Officials said in a news release Friday that the emerald ash borer has been confirmed in western Iowa’s Carroll County and the southwestern Iowa county of Taylor. That brings Iowa’s total to 57 counties.
Infected trees usually lose leaves at the top of the canopy, and the die-off spreads downward. The trees usually die within four years.
Native to Asia, the insects were first reported in the U.S. in Michigan in 2002 and were first detected in Iowa in 2010.
© 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
