INSECTS
EMERALD ASH BORER
Damage to Ash trees that are attacked by the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) takes place when the insect bores holes through the bark and then begins feeding just under the bark. Feeding creates serpentine feeding galleries that cut off the flow of water and nutrient flow upward from the roots to the upper branches. This eventually results in the death of the tree. This can take place over a number of years, and the first noticeable sign is usually some die back in the crown of the tree. The tree will usually be dead by the following year or soon after. This single pest will soon be killing unprotected ash trees as fast as the mountain pine beetle devastated our forest over the last 10 years.
WHITE PINE WEEVIL
The white pine weevil attacks not only pines, but also spruce trees. During the month of April the female weevil emerges from the soil and begins the long walk up the trunk until she gets a foot or so from the top, there she burrows into one of the terminal leaders and lays eggs. If you have 5 leaders dead, then at least 5 weevils were present. In June/July the eggs hatch and the young begin to feed under the bark and then dig out of the trees leader and head back to the soil to hibernate until next year. July/August is when homeowners normally see the top leaders beginning to curl. Unfortunately by then it is too late to spray and pruning the dead leaders out are all you can do. Call us and we will advise you on how to do some additional pruning to side leaders.
SOD WEBWORM
Grab a handful of grass blades and pull upward. If you end up with just blades of grass you may have sod webworms. If you pull up the roots like a carpet sample, you probably have grubs.
LAWN CLOVER MITES
Lawn Clover Mites tend to start at a single point and move outward in the shape of a "V". Clover mites can do this kind of damage over the course of a weekend. Actual size on fingertip and a closeup.
BILLBUG GRUB
Billbug grubs are very tiny, translucent with a dark head. They attack early in the spring just as temperatures begin to climb. Severe cases will allow you to pull up blades and roots in a single tug upward. Lawn damage to left, Adult Billbug with a curved snout, actual size of a billbug grub curled up on the penny.
annual white grub
(1) Damage caused by the Annual White Grub. This pest eats the roots off just as if a sod cutter had cut the roots. This damage is often discovered around the first of August. (2) White grubs (3) June Beetle that produces the white grubs.
