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<br />material for breeding. As with the European elm bark beetles, this wood does not have to be diseased. Eggs <br />are laid in tunnels the adults excavate under the bark. Unlike those of the European species, these tunnels <br />run across the wood grain. Grubs feed at right angles to the egg tunnels, producing characteristic galleries. <br />Adutt beetles emerge in July and August and may fly to heatthy elms to feed on the bark of larger branches <br />(4-10 inches in diameter). It is during this feeding phase that healthy trees can be inoculated with fungus <br />spores. By late September the adutts seek locations on heatthy elms, near the ground, to spend the winter <br />(figure 7). <br /> <br />Under conditions of large popuiations and an abundance of elm breeding wood, approximately 1/3 <br />ofthe native population is capable of starting a second generation that overwinters as larvae. Overwintering <br />native larvae, like European larvae, are found in galleries under the barK of dead and dying elm material. <br />Pupation occurs in the spring and adutt beetles emerge in June, fly to healthy elms to feed, and then find dead <br />or dying material for breeding. Galleries are constructed, eggs are laid, and the resulting larvae produce an <br />overwintering generation of adults. <br /> <br />In southern Minnesota, where native and European beetles coexist, the native tends to be found in <br />parks, woods, and along rivers, and less frequently on boulevard trees. In northern Minnesota, where native <br />elm bark beetles predominate, they are found on boulevard trees as well as in wooded areas. <br /> <br />MANAGEMENT <br /> <br />The primary emphasis in a Dutch elm disease management program is preventative action. The basic <br />elements are: <br /> <br />1. Detection. The systematic Inspection for Dutch elm disease of every elm in a control zone (that <br />area defined by the community as a Dutch elm disease management area) and the detection of <br />all dead elm wood, including firewood piles. <br /> <br />2. Isolation. The disruption of root grafts between infected and heatthy trees. <br /> <br />3. Removal. The prompt elimination of all dead and dying elm material from the control zone. <br /> <br />4. Disposal. The destruction (burning, burying, chipping, debarking) of elm material with intact bark. <br /> <br />These measures, collectively called sanitation, are the key to successful management ofthe disease. <br />They can significantly Iimtt the spread of the disease. Other managementtechniques include pruning of early <br />infections, spraying insecticide, and injecting fungicide. <br /> <br />Importance of Sanitation <br /> <br />The purpose of sanitation is to remove elm bark beetle breeding sites and sources of the fungus, so <br />as to limit the spread of the disease. Failure to employ sanitation measures will lead to higher beetle <br />populations and more dead trees. <br /> <br />The need for complete removal of dead and dying elms becomes apparent when one finds that a piece <br />of elm branch the size of a small fireplace log, 22 x 4 inches, can prOduce up to 1,800 beetles. Left to stand, <br />a complete tree could prOduce hundreds of thousands of beetles. If this tree is infested with the fungus, each <br />emerging beetle carrying the fungus spores could then inoculate heallhy trees during feeding. However, early <br />detection and proper tree disposal prevents ALL these beetles from spreading the disease. <br /> <br />In addition to eliminating the beetle population, sannation also eliminates a potential reservoir for the <br />disease. The fungus, intrOduced by contaminated beetles in the breeding phase, can become established <br />in uninfected (nondiseased), nonliving elm woOd. Once infested, this otherwise disease-free material <br />becomes a source for continued beetle spread of Dutch elm disease to healthy trees. <br /> <br />5 <br />