If you're on a mission to save your ash trees, it's suggested you begin soon. So far the Emerald Ash Borer beetle has been detected in Chili. A local expert says it's just a matter of time before your ash tree will be attacked.

It's a battle against the beetle.

"It is going to be a fatal hazard to ash trees in the area," said Walt Nelson of the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

According to Nelson, if your ash tree is attacked by the ash borer, it could take three to eight years to eventually die. Experts say it might not be easy to tell at first if your tree has been infected. But if you start noticing signs that it’s unhealthy, such as falling branches or ash shrubs starting to grow around the tree's base, then you might want to start checking for a D- shaped hole which an indicator that you've been hit by the bug.

"There's a high probability that it can be treated," Nelson said.

According to local landscaper Greg Frank, chemical treatments may help save your tree. But first, it has to be healthy. That increases its chances of survival.

"Mulch it. Make sure there's no deadwood in it. If it hasn't been fertilized and you haven't taken a soil test in a while, do that," said Frank.

Frank suggests using a chemical protection like Bayer Advanced, something you can buy from your local landscaper. He said to look for the active ingredient, imidacloprid.

"It puts material in the circular system of the tree and as the bugs eat it they die," Frank said.

Or you can have your tree injected with a treatment by a professional. Experts say it's no rush to start these treatments until you're within two miles of the last ash borer siting.

Until research shows otherwise, this maybe only way to beat the bug.

"If you're not going to take initiative to chemically protect and treat that tree. The other option is fire up the chainsaw," Nelson said.

Cornell Cooperative Extension