Purple triangular wooden boxes hanging from rural roadside trees...

In the course of riding through rural Ohio, WV, and VA this season, I've repeatedly noticed wooden, elongated, triangular shaped, and purple-painted boxes hanging from trees along rural roads. Have you also noticed these rather distinctive looking boxes while you've been out riding?

At first I was puzzled about the possible purposes of these boxes, and my first guess was that they might be part of a multi-state research project aimed at studying the prevalence of rabies in bats.

At any rate, this evening I conducted a Google search, and lo-and-behold, these boxes are indeed part of a multi-state research project, but the subject of the study isn't bats. Rather, it involves the recently 'imported' Emerald Ash Borer insect, which is threatening to decimate the remaining American Elms in certain regions of the U.S. where these trees are most common. Efforts to quarantine wood which may be infected with this insect are underway, particularly banning potentially infected campfire wood from being brought into regions that are most at risk for new infestations and subsequent outbreaks.

Purple Boxes in Trees

 

Thanks for the info... I have seen these things all over the place and have wondered why they were there. I live in rural southern Ohio. What part of the state are you from?

 

I noticed these while riding on 555 fri & sat

now I know

 

Interesting... I haven't seen them around here yet but then again I haven't really been looking for them either.

 

Man, that ash borer is a real l problem, just ask anyone who ships wooden crates out of the US. You have to get everything heat treated to kill them off so that we don't infect the rest of the world. Supposedly hardwoods are not affected, so we actually have some hardwood pallets at work! I bet those are expensive.....

 

man, you should see the damage they've caused here in the Windsor area, dead ash trees EVERYWHERE, my one buddy has a 26 acre woods and has lost half of his trees, now it's dangerous because these dead trees are dropping limbs steady, dangerous to cut down too because the limbs crack off when you're sawing and turn into "widowmakers".

 

Dr. Bob,

I live in southern Delaware county.

 

Thanks for that info, RR. I've seen those boxes many times this yr. but kept forgetting to search the 'net for what they are.