How to Tell if Birds or Bugs are Damaging Your Tree

August 1, 2021

Birds or Beetles

Have you noticed numerous tiny holes littering tree trunks in your landscape? Unfortunately, it's an all too common experience in southern properties, especially in Atlanta. So now the real question stands, is there an infestation happening beneath that pitted bark or not?

Start by checking the size of the hole.

Yes, this is one of those cases where size truly does matter - and bigger is better. It seems counterintuitive, we know, but stay with us!

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers

Those larger, eraser-head-sized holes in your trunks are much less alarming than the teeny-tiny pin holes that are more elusive to the naked eye. The culprit, you ask?

Trees blanketed in the larger holes play host to the adorable albeit pesky Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. It's a robin-sized woodpecker that feeds at sap wells - aka, those neat rows of shallow holes drilled into the tree bark.

Can sapsuckers damage a tree? Absolutely.

However, they are not as destructive as the offenders of the pen-head-sized divots. These smaller holes, accompanied by sawdust or toothpick-like strands of sawdust, are due to a pest infestation of boring beetles. Boring beetles can cause boring damage, ambrosia fungus, or an infection caused by the stress of hosting the beetles. All of which lead to the decline and eventual death of a tree.

Ambrosia Beetles

So, how do you get rid of them?

Well...you don't.

We know - not the answer you wanted.

Unfortunately, once infested, there isn't a way to remove the beetles.

But take heart; an infestation does not imply the inevitable demise of your tree. Once you have borers, the goal is to encourage plant growth in hopes the tree can outgrow the damage of the infestation. In other words, treatment serves to lessen stress and prevent more beetles from boring their metaphorical noses into the infected tree.

However, the best form of treatment is - you already know - preventative.

Preventative treatment can, as the name suggests, prevent an infestation from occurring in the first place. Spray treatments can mean the difference between a healthy, thriving tree and a hazardous tree. While it's good to understand the potential cause of holes in your trees, it's always best to have a certified arborist inspect the trees to avoid any danger.

Contact our certified arborist here to discuss the proper preventative measures for your landscape.

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