Mt. Prospect gets beetle warning

A tree-killing beetle is making its way in to Mount Prospect, so the village must prepare itself for the insect's inevitable debut, village trustees were told Tuesday. The emerald ash borer, a tiny green insect that's smaller than a penny, hasn't shown its face yet, but it's closing in, Mount Prospect's forestry superintendent, Sandy Clark, told the board in an update on beetle's progress.

The beetle has been recently spotted in the surrounding suburbs, such as Glendale Heights and the tiny town of Golf, which is about six miles away from the village's border.

"It could be any day," Clark said of the beetle's arrival in the village.

Clark recommended that the board change the village ordinance to add ash trees on a list of diseased tree species that must be taken down within 10 days of known infestation. Such trees are considered public nuisances, she said. The cost to take down the trees would be the responsibility of the owner, she said.

The board did not vote on the change to village ordinance but will consider it at a later meeting.

The update is the latest step the village has taken to prepare for the bug's arrival. In May, the village put up 16 purple ash borer traps in Mount Prospect, but none has caught a beetle so far.

The village is hoping early detection will help control the spread when it arrives. Clark said.

One out of every six trees in the village is an ash tree.

Adult beetles eat the leaves of the ash trees, causing little damage, but the larvae bore into the bark, killing the tree by starving it of nutrients and water.

Clark said if you suspect you've seen an emerald ash borer, call the village at (847) 870-5640.