4 Tips To Deal With Harmful Tree Insects

Even though the growing human population continues to have a negative impact on the environment, invasive insects and diseases are also causing significant harm to trees. Tree destroying insects like hemlock woolly adelgid, emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, and spotted lanternfly, are destroying vast areas of forests every year. For instance, wood-boring insects tunnel and feed under the bark of living wood and can make a tree structurally weak, eventually leading to the death of susceptible trees.

​Here in this post, we’ll give you five tips to deal with harmful tree insects:

Emerald Ash Borer ​

This wood-boring beetle hails from Asia and was first discovered in Michigan, US, in 2002. The larvae of these insects feed under the bark of the ash tree. The larval feeding weakens the tree over time and disrupts the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients. Ash trees infested with these insects show canopy thinning, dense sprouting from trunks, and top-down crown dieback. While a small tree can die within two years, a large tree can survive for up to 3-4 years. These insects have destroyed millions of trees in Michigan and Canada.
​
Treatment Tip
Homeowners can get rid of emerald ash borer by using systemic insecticides containing imidacloprid, dinotefuran, emamectin benzoate, and azadirachtin. Imidacloprid can be easily found in retail stores.

​Asian Longhorn Beetles/Borers

This insect is a big threat to hardwood trees. It feeds on hardwoods including birch, elm, ash, poplar, maple, horse chestnut, and willow, among others. These beetles have a shiny back with a large black and white antenna. The female beetle makes a hole in the tree by chewing through the bark. Then she lays out eggs underneath the bark. The larvae make large galleries deep into the wood. Adults come out of the wood by making pencil-size holes. These galleries weaken the tree and it eventually falls apart. 

Treatment Tip
Imidacloprid is the most effective treatment for this insect.

Gypsy Moth

It is one of the most prevalent and notorious insects that can severely damage the tree. Gypsy moth caterpillars feed on the leaves of over 300 species of trees. The female gypsy moth lays an egg mass and after these eggs hatch, the caterpillars climb to the top of the trees and start consuming foliage. They consume almost all of the leaves of a tree. Defoliation makes a tree susceptible to diseases and other insects. Once fully mature, the caterpillars stop feeding. A healthy tree can only survive two or three successive bouts of defoliation.

Treatment Tip
You can spray Bacillus Thuringiensis, commonly called Bt, a biological pesticide. Acephate, bifenthrin, and carbaryl are the most common active ingredients that can control gypsy moths. You can also use burlap bands to check for and capture gypsy moth caterpillars.

​Eastern Tent Caterpillar

Eastern tent caterpillars feed on ash, witch-hazel, maple, oak, poplar, birch, blackgum, wild cherry, apple, crabapple, redgum, willow, cherry, peach, and plum. The egg masses of this insect look like a ring. After hatching, these caterpillars form tent-like nests in the forks of branches and quickly start growing in volume. You can easily spot them as they have blue spots located between two yellowish lines. The moths are reddish-brown in color. 

Treatment Tip
You can remove large nests by winding them around a stick and getting them destroyed. You can also reduce the tent numbers by using different types of parasitic wasps.

​About Seacoast Tree Care

If you are looking for certified arborists to take care of your tree removal needs, Seacoast Tree Care is your one-stop destination. We offer a complete range of tree services in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. We are experts in tree pruning, cabling, fertilizing, preservation, pest control, and root collar excavation.
To get information, call us at 603-431-0101 or 978-225-6644, or email us at info@seacoasttreecare.com.