In this article, we’ll be discussing basic tree pest control while also identifying common pests involved.
Other areas discussed below include symptoms of pest infestation, pest resistant trees you can grow to avoid pest issues, tree spraying services, and more.
As you read through, you you’d gain insight on how to handle tree pest issues.
Pest Control for Trees
Trees, at different stages of development are exposed or are vulnerable to pest attack.
Without close inspection and maintenance, these could cause all sorts of problems that can affect proper development of trees. Also pests can easily spread diseases.
There are tons of pests known to negatively impact trees.
How To Get Rid of Tree Pests [Worm & Insect Control]
When it comes to tree pests, there are tons of them.
These target trees for breeding as well as for feeding. Irrespective of their target, these pests cause problems to trees. Identifying and treating infestations is crucial to keeping your trees safe.
Some of these notorious pests include aphids, Asian longhorn beetle, black turpentine beetle, balsam wooly adelgid, and Douglas-fir bark beetle.
Others include eastern pineshoot borer, Douglas-fir tussock moth, fall webworm, emerald ash borer, gypsy moth, and forest tent caterpillar.
More tree pests include ips beetles, hemlock wooly adelgid, Nantucket pine tip moth, mountain pine beetle, pales weevil, and hard & soft scale insects.
Others include southern pine beetle, shade tree borer, western pine beetle, spruce budworm, and white pine weevil etc.
These are a few examples of many pests that will cause significant havoc to trees. You’ll need to be able to identify these pests through common symptoms of infestations they leave behind.
Of course such symptoms are mostly signs of damage caused to trees.
Signs and Symptoms of Tree Pests
For tree pest control to be possible, proper identification of these pests is necessary. However, different pests cause different kinds of damages.
Knowing these signs helps in identifying the particular pest involved.
Scale insects, aphids, bagworms, cankerworms, whiteflies, Japanese beetles, and caterpillars all have certain symptoms they can be identified by.
Let’s find out what these symptoms are.
i. Scale Insects
Scale insects mostly consist of two groups; soft and armored scale types.
These sap-sucking insects will readily target ornamental shrubs and backyard trees by anchoring themselves to the vascular tissues of leaves.
Here, symptoms resulting from damage include canopy thinning due to leaf drop and yellow-mottled leaves.
You might also observe branch dieback. Treatment requires the application of pesticides as their eggs hatch into nymphs. These and several other treatments should help.
ii. Aphids
Also called the resident plant lice, aphids mostly target tree leaves to suck plant juices using their well-adapted mouthparts.
Resulting symptoms from such harmful activity include appearance of honeydew, leaves begin to curl, growth of black sooty mold, twig dieback, and stunted growth.
iii. Bagworms
Bagworms are among pests that target trees like the willow, juniper, spruce, maple, poplar, birch, elm, oak, and honeylocust among others.
You’re likely to find chewed leaves, branch death, and mild to severe leaf loss. Here, insecticide treatments can help in addition to picking up these pests and having them destroyed.
iv. Cankerworms
Whenever you notice ragged-looking or chewed leaves, it’s possible that these have been damaged by cankerworms.
Trees vulnerable to this pest include hickory, oak, ash, apple, cherry, elm, beech, linden, and maple. Effective control will require proper application of pesticide in spring.
v. Whiteflies
Whiteflies are also culprits known for damaging trees. They mostly target new, tender leaves to suck their juices.
What results is the appearance of yellow spots on leaves, black fungus growth, premature leaf drop, and a clear sugary substance.
These conditions give rise to ants which appear in numbers to feed on the sugary substance.
vi. Japanese Beetles
Like a lot of pests, Japanese beetles target tree leaves for food. Close observation of damage caused will reveal leaf skeletons or veins left behind.
Also, browning around the top section of the tree canopy is noticed. This is coupled with falling leaves in summer.
vii. Caterpillars
Some of the most vulnerable trees to caterpillar damage include oak, birch, maple, black cherry, willow, ash, and sweetgum.
These pests weave large silky webs with leave loss observed on certain tree species. One of the control measures used include clipping and destroying their tents.
Will Planting Pest Resistant Trees Help?
First off, not all tree species are vulnerable to pest attack.
In other words, pest resistant trees help eliminate any pest issues. This can be considered as adopting a preventive approach to pest control. So, what are these pest-resistant tree species you can grow?
There are several!
They include rubber tree, bald cypress, magnolia, Chinese fringe tree, gingko, Chinese pistache, and the eastern red cedar. These and several other trees of their kind will ward off pests.
While that is true, you might have a preference for tree species that aren’t pest resistant.
This is especially true when such trees are considered to have ornamental value. These are mostly used for landscaping purposes around a property.
Whatever your preferences are, the remaining section identifies simple ways to handle a tree pest infestation.
Calling Experts in Tree Bug Treatment
When faced with a tree pest infestation, the best response to take is to have an arborist perform a basic check.
This check is aimed at assessing the problem in order to determine whether or not your fears are justified. When identified, these pests will need to be eliminated in the best way possible.
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Tree Spraying Services
Sometimes, pest situations may be found to be worse than expected.
Under such situations, advanced damage may already be done. This might require removing the tree completely while also eliminating the pests to prevent spread to nearby trees.
It’s usually best to take this route when treating tree pest issues as arborists are well trained and experienced professionals. They know exactly what needs to be done to overcome the problem.
Plus, they also identify the extent of damage and the risks posed to nearby trees.
Asides the initial treatment, arborists may recommend ongoing inspection and maintenance visits to check the progress of treatment and also prevent future infestations.
It’s important to always go with professional advice given by these experts.
Tree pest control includes all the above details. So far, we’ve identified the different tree pests, signs and symptoms as well as effective control strategies.
Growing pest-resistant trees is another preventive strategy to consider.