Why Are There Holes In My Tree?
Have you noticed rows of holes in your trees that seem to get worse over time or show no sign of pests or bugs? Your trees have probably fallen victim to the yellow bellied Sapsucker woodpecker ( Sphyrapicus spp.). Woodpecker damage is pretty easily identified by the horizontal or vertical rows of drilled like holes in the trunks of your tree.
This can be similar to the damage that is done by hickory bark beetles , however those holes will not be in rows and will most often be randomly found around the trunk, also with boring dust in and around the holes.
Sapsuckers drilling into your trees for just that, the sap. They will attack both hardwoods and conifer trees though they do prefer thin barked trees such as the birch species.
Will the holes in my trees cause them to die?
Sapsucker damage doesnt always necesarily indicate a pest infestation, however, depending on the amount of holes in the tree, it could become a feeding ground for opportunistic insects later on. Sometimes certain sapsuckers will cause extreme damage to a certain tree just by consistent revisits, eventually leading to the decline of the trees health and the inability to heal itself.
How can I stop it?
There are a few different methods of preventing the woodpecker from wanting to return to the tree:
wrapping the tree in burlap
apply sticky bug and bird repellants to the tree
hanging shiny objects that might scare the bird away.
Woodpeckers are a part of nature and a part of our community as a whole, so if all the methods listed above do not prevail, its best to leave nature to run its course. If your trees are starting to decline because of woodpecker damage in Watkinsville, give us a call for a free estimate by a certified arborist. Our certified arborists in Watkinsville can easily identify what type of pests, diseases, or birds are affecting the trees health, as well as its current condition and formulate a plan to save your trees!
