These are the most serious and devastating group of insects that we encounter. The adults of these insects lay their eggs in the tree. When the larvae hatch they bore through the wood of the tree and feed on the important conductive tissues. These insects are attracted to trees that are under stress, and serve to exacerbate the stress and usually cause the decline of the tree. With the severity of the recent droughts, many trees are stressed and thus are being attacked by borers. Obviously, the best means of managing borers is to prevent the tree from becoming stressed. When borers do attack, there are a number of options that we can pursue to minimize the damage. The bronze birch borer is the most notorious of the borers, and consistently devastates the white birch. The primary reason for this is that the white birch is not adapted to the hot summers that occur in our region, and thus it consistently comes under stress during heat. People love these trees and refuse to part with them even though they do not belong here. Fortunately, some recent advances have given us a tool to manage the bronze birch borer on a preventative basis.
Most Susceptible Trees
- Oak
- Ash
- Dogwood
- Maple
- Beech
- Pine
- Spruce
- Hornbeam
- Styrax
- Horsechestnut
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