Norway spruce major problem need help

[comdep]

Hi everybody, I'm new to this site. I have a big problem with a Norway spruce in my backyard and hope somebody can give me some direction.
The tree is about 30 feet tall, and last year I noticed a bunch of small holes in the trunk with sap running out of them. I figured it was some kind of bug, so I kept a watch but never could see anything. Winter came and went, and now the tree looks like it's on the downhill slide.
Upon further examination, I was shocked to see that all up and down the bark something is eating my tree, it looks like a waffle, little holes and squares all connected, (kind of hard to describe), and sap running all over the place. The only bugs I can see are some ants and what appear to be spider mites, but could they do this kind of damage, or is something else lurking?
Also, can the tree be saved or am I doomed to cut it down? Thanks.

 

[rbtree]

Sounds like sapsuckers. Often seen with prolific sap producers like spruce. They drill the holes then come back for the sap. When they drill so many holes, as you have seen, they can certainly cause permanent damage. You might try wrapping the lower trunk with some impervious material--but the birds could always move up into the canopy, though they noramlly don't seem to.

Mites (not spider) are a problem also with spruce. But they cause needle dieback, not bark damage. Your local spray service can help out with them.

 

[treeseer]

please post a picture, to get better advice. I like to hang suet feeders near sapsucker injured trees, to give them a better food source.

 

[comdep]

Hey thanks all, I have heard sapsucker mentioned once before. What exactly is it? And yes I will try to post a picture. Thanks again.

 

[comdep]

here's a pic, click the thumbnail to blow it up.

 

[treeseer]

Roger, the sapsuckers in the pnw must be less linear than their eastern brethren. I'm used to seeing straighter lines.

 

[Ekka]

How do you know they're sap suckers not beetles?

PS: I'm just curious as we don't get much of this stuff here, and I aint seen anything like that before.

 

[treeseer]

unclear to me from the pic. A closeup would help, as would a pic of the source of the thicker pitch at the top of the image.

 

[comdep]

So........any ideas how I can remedy this? If it's a sapsucker he's been pretty busy, but I never see any. If it's a beetle, would I be able to see anything moving? I've poked at it and looked as closely as I could and I don't see anything. Would this be something that attacks at night?

 

[notahacker]

Sapsuckers are wood peckers. They have a distinct drilling pattern. Check this link out. This will have info.
web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/ lawnandgarden/SapsuckerDamage.pdf

 

[comdep]

Yup, it's a sapsucker, saw another picture of the damage they cause and it looks the same as my tree. Now I just have to figure out how to get rid of it, short of using a shotgun, any ideas?

 

[treeseer]

Yup, it's a sapsucker, ... how to get rid of it,..., any ideas?

1. Wrap affected area w gauze. 2. Hang suet feeder--I use the kind with pepper oil in it so the skwerls don't get it all. 3. Invigorate roots w water, fert, microorgs, mulch as needed.