gj,

My understanding is the beetle lays it's eggs in the bark of the ash trees. I copied this from a CSU Forestry bulletin:

The 1/2-inch long, dark green adult beetles are active from late May through July, as they feed on ash trees and lay eggs on the bark. After hatching, the resulting EAB larvae tunnel into the bark to feed in the phloem and outer sapwood layers of the tree, producing galleries that girdle and ultimately kill the tree within two to four years. These expanding S-shaped galleries can be located when the bark is removed.

EAB adults typically fly up to a half-mile from where they emerge to infest new trees. Distribution of the pest over much longer distances is possible due to people transporting ash firewood, logs, nursery stock or other wood.

gj, Is your concern the insecticide residue from ash leaves in your beds or is the worry the potential of transporting beetle larvae to a wider area?

If you're worried about the residue, the chemical often used is a 1.47%
imidacloprid solution.

I found this info on imidacloprid from the National Pesticide Information Center:

What happens to imidacloprid in the environment?

Imidacloprid can last for months or years in soil. The residues become more tightly bound to the soil with time. Imidacloprid is broken down rapidly by water and sunlight. The pH and temperature of water affect the speed of the imidacloprid breakdown process. Imidacloprid may leach from soil into groundwater under some conditions. Imidacloprid is broken down into a number of other chemicals depending on which bonds in the molecule are broken.

Can imidacloprid affect birds, fish, or other wildlife?

Imidacloprid is not very toxic to birds and slightly toxic to fish, although this varies by species. Imidacloprid is very toxic to honeybees and other beneficial insects. The role, if any, of imidacloprid in Colony Collapse Disorder is not yet clear. Scientists have shown that plants grown in treated soil may have imidacloprid residues in their nectar and pollen at levels that are below those shown to cause effects on bees in laboratory experiments.

Other beneficial animals may also be affected. Green lacewings did not avoid nectar of plants grown in soil treated with imidacloprid. The lacewings that fed from the treated plants had lower survival than lacewings that had not fed from treated plants. Ladybugs that ate aphids from plants grown in treated soil also showed reduced survival and reproduction.

Scientists are actively studying the effects of imidacloprid on bees and other invertebrates. As they finish their studies, new information will be coming out that will help define the risks to these animals.

I've inserted a link below to chemicals used to treat EAB. It's 15 pages or so and you'll need to scroll down 8 or 10 pages to reach the table in yellow listing the chemicals. This is probably way more than you wanted to know, sorry!

Chemicals used to treat EAB

Barb

treebarb, thanks for the response. My main concern would be spreading this systemic insecticide into my organic garden. I doubt that the borer could be spread be leaf collecting.

I don't like hearing that it binds into the soil and has negative effects on ladybugs and lacewings. Part of what I like about organic gardening is the wide variety of bugs that visit my patch of earth.

Imidacloprid seems like it would break down (into what?) through composting and mulching.

did you know that imidacloprid is banned in Europe?..in my neighborhood we use emamectin benzoate..more effective with less adverse effects..