Tree Borer & Beetle Treatment

Borer and Bark Beetles are some of the most damaging organisms to your trees.  They feed on the vascular system of trees causing permanent damage. Don’t worry – we have treatments to stop these insects in their tracks and get your tree back on the path to recovery!  A tree that gets a beetle infestation is more likely to get it again. Thus, early detection and yearly preventative treatments are critical to the life of the tree.

Ash/Lilac Borer

borers and beetles image1If this clear winged moth were the size of a car, it would be the most horrific thing in the world.  To your ash trees and lilacs, it is terrifying in its regular size. Considered to be a true borer, the larvae of this borer feed on the heartwood of your tree, causing structural damage and water transportation problems.  Symptoms are holes in the trunk and branches.  Ash/lilac borer are extremely common here in Utah, so we strongly urge yearly preventative treatments.

 

Honey Locust Borer/Bronze Birch Borer

borers and beetles image2Honey Locust Borer and Bronze Birch Borer belong to the group of metallic wood borers, brothers with the Emerald Ash Borer (not yet arrived in Utah). Their larvae feed principally under the bark of the Honey Locust and Birch trees, and cause rapid dieback of branches.  For Birch trees, the symptom is thinning foliage in the top of the tree.  These insects need to be treated every spring to prevent infestation.  Contact us for diagnosis and prescription on how to deal with these two invasive insects.

 

Black Locust Borer

borers and beetles image3These borers will generate tunnels throughout the heartwood of the trunk and branches of your locust trees. Branches will not only die back, but living branches will break as their feeding compromises the structure of the wood.  This insect is strikingly common, and their damage forever weakens the strength of the tree.  Preventative, yearly sprays in the fall are critical to long living locust trees.

 

Greater Peach Tree Borer

borers and beetles image4This is the biggest killer of peach, nectarine, cherry, and plum trees in Utah.  Adults lay their eggs from soil level to the first scaffolding limbs.  After the larvae hatch and enter the bark, they feed on the cambium layer of the tree. The damage they inflict greatly reduces the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients, resulting in rapid branch and tree dieback.  Large amounts of gummy sap, mixed with sawdust, will come from their feeding areas. This insect also attacks the flowering varieties of pitted fruit trees. Call us to have an arborist inspect and prescribe preventative treatments today!

Poplar/Willow Borer

borers and beetles image5This is another standard deadly borer that attacks Poplars, Cottonwoods, and Willows.  Look for sap flowing from holes in the trunk and large branches, with sawdust at the base of the tree or stuck at the opening of the hole.  Consult with one of our arborists about the treatment options for Poplar/Willow Borer.

 

Conifer Bark Beetle

borers and beetles image6These small insects are decimating our forests nationwide.  Although they are small, in large numbers they can quickly kill your trees. These insects are called Bark Beetles because they live just under the bark. When the tops of the trees begin dropping needles, this can be a sure sign of the damage they have done. Trails of sap and sawdust on the trunk are another symptom of bark beetle damage. Most bark beetles are easily controlled with a yearly treatment in early summer to the trunk and branches.  One missed treatment however, will allow dozens of beetles back into the tree for another 2 years.  Contact us to schedule a visit from an arborist to give you a quote.

Black Turpentine Beetle

borers and beetles image7When the regular bark beetles can’t do the job of killing your pines, they call in the big guns, the Black Turpentine Beetles. They are the largest conifer bark beetles in North America.  The most obvious symptom of Black Turpentine Beetle is the ball of gummy sap called pitch.  Underneath this pitch, a pair of adults can lay up to 200 eggs.  The eggs hatch and the larvae feed on the soft, vascular tissues.  These insects will kill a tree quickly, so quick diagnosis and aggressive treatments are necessary.

Contact Us for Your Tree Borer & Beetle Treatment

 

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