Bark Beetles
Bark beetles can cause extensive damage to infested trees. We see colonization mostly on stressed pine and oak trees. There are several species that bore into these trees and their management is imperative if long term tree health is the goal. Early detection and treatment is essential to tree health.
Finding the cause to the beetle infestations is as important as the treatment itself. Stressed trees emit a chemical which attracts these insects. It is a natural function. These insects have a job which is to eliminate weak trees.In the urban landscape environment, incorrect landscape practices are often the reason for insect and disease infestations. The key to tree rescue is to find the cause of the problem, correct environmental conditions that contribute to the problem, and use both immediate and long-term Integrated Pest Management (IPM) protocol that lead to reversal of these conditions.
Common conditions that lead to beetle attraction include:
- Drought stress
- Excessive water applications to the root zone
- Root loss
- Root infection by pathogens
- Excessive canopy reduction which leads to tree stress
- Springtime pruning
