TRAVIS25
New Member
What Is Doing This And How Can I Stop It? Thanks
Bugs!!! Help
- Thread starter TRAVIS25
- Start date
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Looks like the bird(s) is attacking a wounded/stressed area for the tree, where the sap has extra-tasty nutrients.
I would wrap the area with burlap to deter further attacks. Hang a suet feeder nearby to distract the bird with nore concentrated nutrition.
I would wrap the area with burlap to deter further attacks. Hang a suet feeder nearby to distract the bird with nore concentrated nutrition.
smokechase II
Addicted to ArboristSite
TRAVIS25 's question is still "what beetle?"
That sapsucker isn't drilling that many holes for training.
TRAVIS25; there is some type of insect causing your problem.
Rule 1: support your local woodpeckers, they're good guys. I.e., maintain a reasonable number of snags and logs as a housing/food source for the good guys and while they will not eliminate a pest, they can help moderate.
Rule 2: Ask a local tree guy.
Rule 3: Strip 'some' bark and see if you can figure it out with an identification book or the net.
Rule 4: Really find that local guy, (see rule 2), from a local university extension service, (usually a no fee) and ask what works while showing them a bug/photo/tree.
That sapsucker isn't drilling that many holes for training.
TRAVIS25; there is some type of insect causing your problem.
Rule 1: support your local woodpeckers, they're good guys. I.e., maintain a reasonable number of snags and logs as a housing/food source for the good guys and while they will not eliminate a pest, they can help moderate.
Rule 2: Ask a local tree guy.
Rule 3: Strip 'some' bark and see if you can figure it out with an identification book or the net.
Rule 4: Really find that local guy, (see rule 2), from a local university extension service, (usually a no fee) and ask what works while showing them a bug/photo/tree.
TRAVIS25
New Member
its a bug
should have given more info.i pulled some bark away from the tree and behind the bark was what looks like long round pieces of pulp looks like saw dust.also chopped up a piece of old tree that fell, the holes go into the tree its definetly burrowing into the tree.im located in southern michigan if this helps anymore.
should have given more info.i pulled some bark away from the tree and behind the bark was what looks like long round pieces of pulp looks like saw dust.also chopped up a piece of old tree that fell, the holes go into the tree its definetly burrowing into the tree.im located in southern michigan if this helps anymore.
Tree Wizard
ArboristSite Operative
When you see rows of holes - its a sapsucker doing the damage. Since sapsuckers diet is comprised of at least 50% sap, it is not necessarily going after insects. When sapsuckers and other woodpeckers go after insects, the holes are more random.
Sapsuckers are migratory. They hit your trees in the spring on the way north and again in fall on the way south. They also tend to have favorite trees on their migratory routes.
See the following U of ILL site.
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/lawnandgarden/SapsuckerDamage.pdf
Sapsuckers are migratory. They hit your trees in the spring on the way north and again in fall on the way south. They also tend to have favorite trees on their migratory routes.
See the following U of ILL site.
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/lawnandgarden/SapsuckerDamage.pdf
Kate Butler
ArboristSite Guru
bird damage
What's up with this burlap thing? I had a certified guy out to a client of mine to do a treatment for birch borers (injections) last season and he didn't do it. Instead he wrapped the tree in burlap (there was NO bird damage) and left. The client calls me this year and says that the tree has died (she had no idea what the guy had or had not done). So I came out to take it down. Under the burlap was all sorts of moldy grot AND a nest of wasps.
Burlap seems counterintuitive. Yes, it keeps the birds away from that particular spot. But it also retains moisture and is likely to mold and become a vector for other problems similar to the problems caused by 'volcano' mulching. The old timers here use pine tar (creosote) painted into the holes made by the birds. They don't like it one little bit and tend to move on. Sometimes have to paint twice as they'll start another round of holes. But they seem to get the message pretty quickly.
Pine tar is also the recommended solution to keep chickens from pecking one another to death. (Paint it on the birds' wounded area.) It must taste really bad!!
treeseer said:
What's up with this burlap thing? I had a certified guy out to a client of mine to do a treatment for birch borers (injections) last season and he didn't do it. Instead he wrapped the tree in burlap (there was NO bird damage) and left. The client calls me this year and says that the tree has died (she had no idea what the guy had or had not done). So I came out to take it down. Under the burlap was all sorts of moldy grot AND a nest of wasps.
Burlap seems counterintuitive. Yes, it keeps the birds away from that particular spot. But it also retains moisture and is likely to mold and become a vector for other problems similar to the problems caused by 'volcano' mulching. The old timers here use pine tar (creosote) painted into the holes made by the birds. They don't like it one little bit and tend to move on. Sometimes have to paint twice as they'll start another round of holes. But they seem to get the message pretty quickly.
Pine tar is also the recommended solution to keep chickens from pecking one another to death. (Paint it on the birds' wounded area.) It must taste really bad!!
TRAVIS25
New Member
tree wizard thanks for the link.that looks like the damage but im thinking iive got two problems birds and bugs.ill take a pic of what i found under the bark and of the tunnels that are in the wood i cut.
hobby climber
ArboristSite Guru
Food Chain
Tree has problem, bugs attack tree, birds attack bugs. Kinda like a food chain! Ya Know! HC
Tree has problem, bugs attack tree, birds attack bugs. Kinda like a food chain! Ya Know! HC
Kate I agree, applying a repellent is better than jsut blocking the bird's access to the area. Whether that's done with burlap or whatever, it doesn't need to stay on forever.Kate Butler said:
Sometime I get cans of Chew-Stop, a cayenne-mustard mix blended to stop horses from chewing things, and sell them to the customers. They like the ease of aerosol, tho it too needs reapplying.
If there are bugs behind the bark, taking samples to the extension guys is a good idea. Put your tax $$ to work!
Kate Butler
ArboristSite Guru
bugs
How often does the aerosol Chew-Stop have to be reapplied? I think that would probably be a lot simpler to apply (the creosote has to be painted on with a brush). The creosote only has to be reapplied if new holes are found - it's very thick and sticky.
How often does the aerosol Chew-Stop have to be reapplied? I think that would probably be a lot simpler to apply (the creosote has to be painted on with a brush). The creosote only has to be reapplied if new holes are found - it's very thick and sticky.
A heavy rain will take most of it off, I think. Yeah, the gooey stuff would have several issues, from application challenge to trapping litter to aesthetics to mess later as it degrades.Kate Butler said:
Some folks put garlic and cayenne in a blender and swab that on, a la Rodale.
I am big on the suet feeders, as a positive reinforcement for the bird to modify its behavior.
moss
ArboristSite Guru
Dealing with the natural order of things
The second photo shows a few years worth of sapsucker work. If they really like this tree (seems like they do) then there's not much you can do in the long run. On the bright side they won't kill the tree if it's in basically good health and the tree is a kind of magnet so they probably aren't touching other trees around it.
One of their feeding strategies is to get the sap running to attract insects then they eat the bugs. They definitely have favorite tree species, which species is your tree?
Mason bees (important orchard/fruit tree pollinator) use holes like this to raise their young. They stuff in layers of eggs and food (flower pollen) separating each cell with a thin layer of mud and then cap the whole thing off with a mud plug. It could be all the stuff you found in the holes. The mason bees just use the holes and don't harm the tree.
-moss
The second photo shows a few years worth of sapsucker work. If they really like this tree (seems like they do) then there's not much you can do in the long run. On the bright side they won't kill the tree if it's in basically good health and the tree is a kind of magnet so they probably aren't touching other trees around it.
One of their feeding strategies is to get the sap running to attract insects then they eat the bugs. They definitely have favorite tree species, which species is your tree?
Mason bees (important orchard/fruit tree pollinator) use holes like this to raise their young. They stuff in layers of eggs and food (flower pollen) separating each cell with a thin layer of mud and then cap the whole thing off with a mud plug. It could be all the stuff you found in the holes. The mason bees just use the holes and don't harm the tree.
-moss
Kate Butler
ArboristSite Guru
bugs and birds
The trees bothered the most by this sort of damage here are birches and mountain ash. I've seen minor amounts of damage (almost as if the birds were drilling test holes, but then moved on) in apples.
The trees bothered the most by this sort of damage here are birches and mountain ash. I've seen minor amounts of damage (almost as if the birds were drilling test holes, but then moved on) in apples.
