The public works department transferred $20,000 to parks maintenance to treat tulip and Modesto ash trees throughout the city with the insecticide Merit. These trees were damaged heavily by the infection last year.

"Typically, if you get hit hard one year, you get hit hard the next year," said John Iaquinto, public works superintendent for Campbell.

The insects are found on trees from early spring until late summer, Iaquinto said. They suck fluid out of the trees and emit a sticky substance referred to as "honeydew."

"It creates a nuisance and a mess, not to mention the damage it does to the tree," Iaquinto said. "It's really a big problem because it gets on vehicles, and it gets on your shoes and can do damage to carpets."

Though the insects usually appear in Campbell on a cyclical basis, Iaquinto said the city decided to prevent this year's infestation after it received several complaints last year about the bugs and the sticky substance they secrete.

Rather than spray the trees with pesticides, workers injected Merit into the ground near the base of the trees. The insecticide spreads through the tree's vascular system and is ingested by insects feeding off the trees.

"It's more cost-effective, environmentally friendly and less invasive," Iaquinto said.

Not every tulip or Modesto ash tree in the city was treated; some were left alone so the city could monitor the severity of this year's infestation. Trees on private property were not treated, but some trees on the parking strips of streets were. The treatment included trees throughout the city and not in any particular location, Iaquinto noted.

What the city will do in the future to address the problem, if it is ongoing, has yet to be determined.

"We're going to look at different options because of the cost," Iaquinto said. "We don't really have General Fund money to cover these additional costs."

Modesto ash and tulip trees are no longer on the city's list of approved trees for new plantings because of the infestation problem.

El Camino Hospital