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The borers are usually divided into roundhead and
flathead types. The native borer insects are part of
Nature's plan to recycle trees since they attack
weakened, stressed trees and generally do not bother
sound, vigorous trees.
Unfortunately some of the imported i.e. exotic,
borers such as the
Emerald ash borer or the
Asian
longhorn beetle infest both vigorous, younger
trees and older stressed ones.
Bronze
birch borers generally attack trees that are
weakened by the
birch leaf
miner.
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Often, the first sign
that the home gardener notices about an infestation
of borer insects is their randomly spaced exit
holes. It is the larval form of the insect that does
the boring in the wood as they grow. When they turn
into adults, they burrow their way out and leave the
hole behind. The holes may be from ¼ to ¾ inch in
diameter depending on the species of borer.
***Note: If the holes
are in a straight line, the problem is either
woodpeckers or sapsucker.
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About the only way to
prevent native borers is to keep your trees as
healthy as possible by watering during droughts,
allowing enough room for trees to spread out and
pruning properly.
Other measures have
been taken to prevent the
Emerald ash borer
and the
Asian
longhorn beetle, which, as mentioned above,
attack healthy trees too.
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For our native borers,
once they infest a tree, it is probably too late to
control them. The real problem is often that the tree is
in general decline because of age or "shade tree
decline" and the borers are just part of the process of
returning them to the earth.
Chemical treatment may be
appropriate in some cases but it would have to be
applied to the bark to prevent the adult borer from
laying her eggs. Once the borer is inside the tree,
there is not much you can do about it.
** Again, the exceptions
to the rule are the Emerald ash borer and
Asian longhorn
beetle.
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Note: We
have provided some general information and
observations on this topic aimed at the home
gardener. Before you take
any serious action in your landscape, check
with your state's land grant university's
Cooperative
Extension
Service for the most current,
appropriate, localized recommendations. |
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