How to Protect Trees from Pests
Trees can provide beauty, privacy, and shade for the yard, but only if they are kept healthy, and free of disease and pests. A lot of insects attack trees during the summer, so it is important to catch problems early because it determines if the tree will thrive and survive.
The following tip on how to check the health of trees can help you save money. For instance, carpenter ants harm trees, and it is crucial to get rid of them right away. Ants attack trees and those ants can soon find a way to enter your home and destroy the foundation.
You can also choose to contact emergency tree services anytime if your tree has been attacked by pests. Learn more now.
Groom Your Trees
Your trees have to be kept trimmed. Regular pruning will allow light in while promoting a healthy airflow. Clean pruning shears with rubbing alcohol or a one-part water and one-part bleach solution to stop the disease from spreading. Afterward, oil shears will have corrosion. Dried fruits from last year might have a disease, so it is important to choose them when your tree or the ground has them. You need to burn fallen leaves before winter, while dead leaves spread disease through the spores.
Locate the Signs
Bugs that are killing trees leave signs of damage. The bugs can be species-specific and region-specific, so it is helpful to look for common bugs in your area. The common pests range from beetles, aphids, moths, and caterpillars to weevils and borers. Even if aphids are not normally damaging, larger colonies can cause problems and lead to stunted growth.
Examine all the trees you have, while looking at the branches, trunks, leaves, and bark. There are harmful bugs that will leave behind external signs, like exit holes and sawdust-like debris from insects. As well as from boring insects, holes caused by chewing insects, or sticky sap from sucking insects. You can also find nests or insects.
Prune Your Trees Regularly
When you want to make sure that trees remain healthy, you should prune them regularly. Tree pruning promotes good airflow and allows sunlight into all tree corners, which promotes tree health. However, in the moments after you prune the tree, they are more attractive to insects which is why you need to do it at the right time of the year.
You Can Use Horticultural Oils
Horticultural oils are excellent at keeping scales, spider mites, aphids, white flies, as well as slugs off of many plants and trees.
Arborists also use horticultural oils for many years to discourage pests. Just applying it once to the leaves and tree leaves is going to suffocate the bugs, as well as prevent them from laying eggs.
These oils are non-toxic to people and will not harm pests, since they do not leave a toxic residue. They can easily be applied and can be used with existing spray equipment and mixed with other pesticides.
Healthy Hydration
It is a must to water your trees properly because it prevents branches from breaking off and drying up. Broken branches are not only unsafe and ugly, but they also increase the risk of being infested by insects. You can supplement the watering routine with an anti-desiccant spray. This product is going to help shrubs, and trees are able to retain water, especially in drier weather when they are unable to absorb enough amounts of it from the ground.
You can contact arborist services Bethesda anytime if you want to have your trees pruned to prevent pests.