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UW Extension to hold Q&A sessions on beetle Monday

JANESVILLE — Bad news: The emerald ash borer has arrived in Rock County.

Good news: On Monday, the UW Extension of Rock County will host two question and answer sessions about the invasive pest at the Rock County Courthouse.

Mike Maddox, horticulture educator, will provide an update on the ash borer situation in the county, inform homeowners about proper treatment against it and answer any other questions people might have.

In other words, hold your panic until Monday when you can get good answers. Your trees won't die between now and then.

Maddox is concerned about the amount of erroneous information being spread about the borer.

"I already see lots of inappropriate and inaccurate information out there in the blogosphere," Maddox said. ""People are talking about the wrong critters, the wrong trees, the wrong products and the wrong prescriptions. This needs to be cleared up so people can address the EAB issue rationally and effectively"

That's his blunt assessment of the situation.

Maddox says his goal is to save people time, money and anxiety by providing research-based information.

UW-Madison, Michigan State University, Purdue University and a variety of other institutions have been working every angle of the ash borer crisis since the bug was first discovered. Researchers have tested a variety of treatments in several settings. In addition, they've treated trees in all stages of the disease to see if the trees could be saved.

Researchers also have considered the cost of treatment, in context. For example, a large ash might cost a significant amount to cut down, could cut air conditioning costs and provide other, intangible benefits.