Spiders, insects, and other arthropods make up the biggest animal species in the world. Though they’re tiny, insects can be damaging to shrubs and trees on your property.
Typically, insects leave behind dangerous bacteria that can damage your trees. This can spoil the leaves or branches of your tree. A couple of insects even chew holes in the trunk.
Today, we’re going to talk about how insects can affect your tree. If you don’t want these things to happen, you can always rely on tree service in Jacksonville NC for help.
Kinds of Insects that Affect Trees
There are 3 kinds of insects that can do damage to your trees. Today, we’re going to discuss each one of them. Also, we’re going to share some indications to know if your trees are infected.
The 3 kinds of insects are sucking insects, boring insects, and chewing insects.
Sucking Insects
From the name itself, these pests do damage by sucking the liquid out from twigs and leaves. A lot of them are typically immobile. This means that they nest on the exterior of a limb or branch. They create a protective and hard exterior coating while sucking on the juices of your tree.
Oftentimes, they secrete a sticky and sweet substance known as honeydew. This consists of the unprocessed material from the plant. Honeydew could lead to the formation of sooty mold on leaves. It’s an indication that you’ve got an issue.
Lace bug is perhaps the most popular kind of a sucking pest. Lace bugs are small. They’re only around ¼ inches. They usually feed on Indian Plum, Azaleas, and Rhododendrons. They’re called lace bugs since they’ve got a lace-like network of veins that can be found on the wings.
Nymphs and adults suck plant sap from the leaves underside. Over time, the leaves will become yellow. Also, they leave black tar on the surface of the leaf. If your tree is infested heavily with lace bugs, it will become unappealing. Serious infestation might lead to death.
Boring Insects
Tunneling insects, commonly known as boring insects, are the most destructive type. The reason for this is that they bore into the twigs, roots, or stem. They typically eat the tree’s vascular tissues. A couple of them lay eggs deep inside the tree. This will block off the tree’s water-conducting tissues.
Upper leaves are starved of moisture and nutrients if the infestation is severe. Oftentimes, it leads to the death of a tree if left ignored.
Indications of Boring Insects
- Sections of the crown dying and wilting
- Small mounds of sawdust at the base
- Exit and entry holes in the bark
Chewing Insects
Almost every chewing insect feeds on the tree’s foliage. On the other hand, some feed on the fruit. Beetles and caterpillars are the most popular chewing insects.
Trees typically bounce back from an attack via repeated infestations. Typically, trees die due to a lack of energy. The reason for this is that trees require their leaves for photosynthesis. If there are no leaves, a tree can’t photosynthesize anymore.
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