Insect & Disease Control

Insect and Disease Control Services Available

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Damage and destruction caused by insects, diseases, and weeds can severely limit the ability of trees, shrubs, and grass in your landscape to thrive. We offer preventative treatments, fertilization, and corrective treatments for many things. We will put a specialized plan in place to keep your plants and trees healthy and strong for years.

Anthracnose

The primary signs of anthracnose are tan to red-brown lesions that extend along the veins and edges of the leaf and considerable defoliation, sometimes with complete leaf loss. Anthracnose (leaf blight) is a fungus that winters on twig tissue on the tree. In the spring, spores are transported to new buds and shoots. Excellent, wet conditions enhance the disease. Infected leaves develop tan to reddish-brown lesions that extend along the leaf's veins. Considerable defoliation, sometimes with complete leaf loss, occurs on many trees by late spring in cool, wet years.

Different anthracnose species impact different tree species, including oak, ash, maple, elm, hickory, walnut, birch, linden, sycamore, and dogwood. Sycamore, white oak, and dogwood are particularly susceptible to anthracnose.

Apple Scab

Apple scab is a fungal disease affecting leaves, fruit, and twigs. While most common in apple trees, the fungus also frequently infect pear and hawthorn. Outbreaks will be most severe following particularly wet and cool spring conditions.

The fungus overwinters on fallen leaves and develops spores in the spring before bud break. The spores are transported by wind, rain, or other physical means to infect tender, growing leaves, twigs, and fruit. Once the fungal infection is established in the newly forming tissues, more spores are produced and spread to other tree areas.

Birch Borer

Of the number of pests attracted to the birch trees, the bronze birch borer is the most important as it is both lethal and difficult to control. As an adult, the borer is a small bronze-colored beetle up to 2 inches long. The damage is not caused by the beetle itself but by the larvae, which bore into the phloem and cambium layers after emerging from their eggs on the bark. The borers' tunneling weakens and kills trees by interrupting sap flow. The entire lifecycle of the borer is one year from egg to beetle.

Evidence of borer infestation is a progressive thinning of the tree's crown beginning at the top. Trees generally die after about two or three years, that is, after two or three infestations by the larvae. If caught early enough, insecticides are available to prevent new infestations of the borer, but these will not kill larvae already active in the tree.

Bur Oak Blight (BOB)

Foliage diseases usually require rainy weather, but we continue to see many large bur oak trees with severe symptoms of Bur Oak Blight (BOB). If there are a couple of rainy days when new shoots are expanding in spring, the fungus that causes BOB may infect the leaves but grow very slowly, and the leaves remain symptomless for two or more months. A healthy-appearing bur oak may be suddenly full of dead leaves in August. The killed leaves that hang on to branches through winter provide the spores for the following spring's infections.

Chlorosis

Iron or manganese chlorosis describes a condition in which a tree's foliage loses its healthy green color and fades to a pale green or yellow hue. This condition will cause slow growth, leaf loss, and tree death if allowed to progress. Chlorosis is often caused by deficiencies of the micro-elements iron and manganese.

Dutch Elm Disease

The first sign of the disease is the sudden wilting of leaves in the tree's upper reaches.

Next, the leaves change color from green to yellow to brown. They then wilt and die.

If the infection occurs very late in the season, the leaves will appear to fall normally. However, the following spring, the new leaves will be smaller than usual. The tree will often die before mid-summer. Preventative treatments can be administered to protect elm trees from DED.

Eastern Tent Caterpillar

Caterpillars are the larval stage of moths and are among the most severe defoliators of trees. One example is the eastern tent caterpillar, responsible for defoliating forest trees and cherry, apple, and other ornamental shade trees. Other caterpillar pests include the gypsy moth, winter moth, spring and fall cankerworm, bagworm, clearwing borers, pine tip moth, and tussock moth. Some moth larvae, such as tip moths and clearwing borers, feed inside the tree's twigs, shoots, or trunk and are virtually unseen.

Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an exotic beetle discovered in Southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause minor damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients and eventually killing the ash tree. Ash trees can be treated to prevent the Ash borer, and should the borer be present, the treatment will also kill the insect and its larvae as long as the tree isn't too infested and past the point of return. There are no visible signs. In the first 1-2 years, the bug is in the tree, and one of the first indicators is to die back at the very top of the tree. Our Arborist and Licensed Applicators can evaluate and treat your tree in the Spring, Summer, and Fall.

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Gypsy Moth

The gypsy moth caterpillar is not a fussy eater. It prefers the leaves of deciduous hardwood trees such as maple, elm, and mainly oak. Gypsy moths can also feed on apple, alder, birch, poplar, and willow trees. As it grows, it will also attack evergreens like pines and spruces. Gypsy moths dislike ashes, sycamores, butternuts, black walnuts, dogwoods, and balsams. However, during heavy infestations, competition for food will drive the caterpillar to attack almost any tree or shrub.

Depending on the degree of infestation, tree damage ranges from light to almost complete defoliation. Most deciduous trees can survive a moderate degree of defoliation. Many can even survive one complete defoliation by the gypsy moth caterpillar. However, continuing attacks can fatally weaken a tree or leave it vulnerable to other insects or diseases.

Japanese Beetles

There is hardly a gardener out there who hasn't encountered a Japanese beetle. The adult Japanese beetle is shiny, metallic green with copper-brown wing covers and about 3/8-inch length. Not all metallic green or copper beetles are Japanese Beetles. To be sure of what you're dealing with, you can look closely at the underside of the beetle, and you'll also see five small, white tufts under the wing covers and an additional tuft at the end of the abdomen.

Japanese beetles can create havoc in a garden by feeding on the leaves of several different plants, skeletonizing the leaves, and eventually defoliating the plants. An individual Japanese beetle doesn't do that much damage while feeding on a plant, but they tend to congregate in large numbers and can quickly defoliate shrubs and trees. Remember that adult Japanese beetles are only around for over a month. We offer foliar spray treatments to reduce/eliminate an existing population during an outbreak. We can also provide a fall root injection treatment to prevent your trees and shrubs from being attacked the following season.

Leaf Galls

Have you ever picked up a leave dotted with bumps or had long protrusions dangling? Chances are these are galls. Galls are abnormal, vegetative growths that are usually formed as a response by plants to the action of fungi, mites, or insects such as wasps, aphids, and true bugs. Galls can be formed in the leaves, petioles (stem) of leaves, twigs, buds, or on the roots.

Leaf galls are frightening but are not usually as serious as they appear. These bumps and deformities result from insects or mites feeding on the leaves. The gall itself is the plant's response to the irritation. It's not unlike the bump you get when an insect feeds on you, except the leaf gall will not go away.

Despite appearances, the insect is not living in the gall. It is very likely that once you notice the galls, the insects will have moved on. Before they do, they can do a lot of cosmetic damage to many plants, particularly trees. Many common trees are susceptible to leaf galls, especially in the spring. Maple, oak, elm, hackberry, and others are favored by a different insect that causes unsightly and intimidating galls. Damage will be more significant following a mild winter since more insects have survived and are hungry. Galls won't usually kill a tree but may cause early leaf drop. A healthy tree will send out new growth and recovery.

Leaf Hopper

Many types of leafhoppers attack a wide range of trees and plants. Most leafhoppers are narrow and only about half an inch long. They move very quickly, hopping or flying when disturbed. When on the leaf, the leafhopper can move in any direction, sideways and backward, almost as fast as its forward motion. Leafhoppers can easily be identified by the large eyes on the sides of their heads.

Leafhoppers feed on a wide range of trees and plants by sucking large amounts of sap out of leaves and new twig growth. As they suck the sap, they produce a large amount of honeydew, which is a discharge of undigested sap sugars. The honeydew appears as a clear, shiny, sticky material on the leaves.

Leaves severely damaged by leafhoppers are unsightly, and the tree loses its ability to produce food. Leafhoppers should be controlled as early as possible before severe damage occurs.

Oak Wilt

Oak wilt is a disease caused by a fungus specific to oaks. The fungus is spread through root grafts between neighboring trees and by insects. Red oaks are particularly susceptible to oak wilt. The infection causes leaf discoloration, defoliation, and death in a very short time (from two months to one year). Fungal mats will form under the bark and force outwards, cracking the tree bark.

White oaks are more tolerant of oak wilt infection. Fungal mats will not form, and the tree will take much longer to succumb to the disease. Oak trees can be proactively treated to prevent the fungus from attacking; if you have a feature oak tree in your yard that you don't want to lose, it is critical to treat it. Oak wilt is in our area, and trees are lost yearly to the deadly fungus.

Powdery Mildew

As the name implies, powdery mildew looks like powdery splotches of white or gray on the leaves and stems of plants. There are several types of powdery mildew fungi, but they all look the same. You may not notice a problem until the top surfaces of the leaves turn powdery, but powdery mildew can also affect the lower leaf surface, stems, flowers, buds, and even the fruit.

Although powdery mildew is unattractive, it is rarely fatal. However, it stresses the plant and severe or repetitive infections will weaken it. Photosynthesis is impaired if enough of the leaf surface becomes covered with powdery mildew. Infected leaves often fall prematurely. This can be a particular problem for edible crops since insufficient photosynthesis can diminish the flavor of the fruit or vegetable. If buds become infected, they may not open and mature at all.

Powdery mildew fungi are host-specific, meaning the different powdery fungi infect other plants. The powdery mildew on your lilacs will not spread to your grapes or roses. However, all powdery mildews favor the same conditions.

Rhizosphaera Needlecast

The disease is usually first evident on lower branches and then works upward gradually. Second-year needles turn purple or brown and eventually fall from the tree. After several successive years of needle loss, branches may die. In general, trees appear to die from the bottom upward. In some cases, however, infections start higher on the tree, making scattered dead areas appear. The disease can be diagnosed by looking at the discolored needles with a magnifying glass or hand lens. In rows, small black spots (fruiting fungus structures) appear on the infected needles. The fungus emerges from the stomata (natural pore-like openings) in lines on all sides of a spruce needle. Green needles may show these small black fruiting structures.

Blue spruce trees are susceptible to an infectious needle disease caused by the fungus Rhizosphaera. White spruce trees are classified as intermediate in susceptibility to the disease, and Norway spruce are relatively resistant.

Spider Mites

Spider mites are tiny pests, generally appearing as brown, red, or purple specks on the underside of leaves. Mites infest leaves and cause the leaves to appear speckled with yellow spots or wilted and curled. A fine silken webbing can sometimes be seen on the underside of the leaves. Intense infestations during hot, dry weather can cause leaf drop.

Spider mites damage trees by sucking sap from the underside of the leaves. The bite marks appear as a yellow-speckled pattern on the top and bottom of the leaf. As the season progresses and the temperature becomes hotter and dryer (above 70 degrees F), the population of spider mites will increase exponentially. It can rapidly defoliate a tree, especially if it has trouble taking up water during drought periods. Often, a tree being attacked by spider mites appears to be dripping because as insects suck the sap from the leaves, they produce a liquid honeydew, which is the undigested sugar. The honeydew gives the leaves a sticky feel and a wet look.

Two Lined Chesnut Borer

The first symptom of a two-line chestnut borer attack is usually wilted foliage appearing on scattered branches during late summer. The foliage on infested branches wilts prematurely and turns brown but remains attached to the branches for several weeks or months before dropping. Such branches will die and produce no foliage in the next year. Note the D-shaped exit hole on the two-lined chestnut borers as observed on the bark surface of the tree trunk.

Trees can be killed in the first year of attack; however, death usually occurs after 2 to 3 successive years of borer infestation. Typically, the crown is attacked during the first year, with the remaining live portions of the branches and trunk being infested during the second and third years. We offer trunk injections to treat the tree and prevent and kill the insect attacking it.

Zimmerman Pine Moth

This moth spends the winter as a young caterpillar in a shallow pit, digging in the bark. In early April, the caterpillar emerges and begins feeding near branch attachments. Late in June through July, when the caterpillars are deep in the trunk, the wounds look gummy and are covered in frass. By early August, they emerge as moths and lay eggs on the trunk. Eggs hatch and dig their shallow pits to overwinter. Any pine tree is susceptible to the Zimmerman pine moth. However, those that are drought-stressed or nonnative are most likely to succumb. Trees can be treated with trunk injections or foliar sprays at the correct time of year.