What’s Eating Your Trees? 5 Pests to Watch Out for This Fall - All The Above Tree Services Global site tag

What’s Eating Your Trees? 5 Pests to Watch Out for This Fall

Many home and property owners sigh with relief when the fall season begins because it’s a time of cooler weather, beer festivals, football games, and fewer pest problems. Well, that last one may not be entirely true. While there are many species of insects and bugs that go dormant for the season, there are still quite a few pests alive this season, and they’re ready to chomp at your trees.

A local arborist can help you develop a treatment plan to manage any insects and bugs in your area. Let’s look at the most common types of pests in Pennsylvania that you need to be on the lookout for this fall.

Fall Webworm

These little guys may seem like they are simply in the Halloween spirit during one of the best times of the year, spinning webs on the ends of tree branches, but they are actually harming your favorite trees.

Inside the webs, fall webworms use the tree’s leaves as a food source. Your tree is left bare, full of webs, and truly spooky, but this look will not last only for one season. To get rid of fall webworms, you need to physically remove the webs, and then the tree should be treated with insecticide.

If any of the following trees are on your property, you will need to watch out for fall webworms:

  • Black walnut
  • Wild cherry
  • Pecan
  • Mulberry
  • Persimmon
  • Sweetgum

Oak Mite

Oak mites, as their name suggests, love to infest all species of oak trees. They feed on the larvae of other tree pests and turn the tree’s leaves brown and brittle. If they fall on you, they will bite, and their bites turn into itchy, irritated spots on your skin. To control the infestation of biting oak mites, you’ll want to have a specialized arborist treat your oak trees according to the area you live.

Spider Mite

If you have conifers on your property, you will need to have them treated for spider mites. These mites feed on tree sap and spin webs in the branches of the tree. Over time, the conifer will lose its needles and develop yellow spots.

You’ll want to contact a tree expert for pest control services as soon as you suspect issues with spider mites; otherwise, the conifer may not be able to survive the winter. The expert will likely treat the tree with a low-viscosity horticultural oil.

Spider mites most commonly infect these trees:

  • Spruce
  • Hemlock
  • Fir
  • Juniper
  • Arborvitae

Bagworm

Like the fall webworm, the bagworm spins webs throughout the tree branches. However, their webs are more silk-like and look like bags of silk and debris. They use these webs for protection so they can safely (and happily) munch on the tree’s leaves or needles. To control this bug, you will need to remove and destroy their web. An arborist can do this for you.

Bagworms enjoy taking up residence in:

  • Junipers
  • Willows
  • Cedars
  • Maples
  • Spruces
  • Elms
  • Birches
  • Poplars

Magnolia Scale

Magnolia scale only infest magnolias and leave branches and leaves covered in a sticky substance called honeydew. They cause flowers and branches to die, leaving behind an ugly thing sticking out of the ground. It’s recommended to have your trees treated for magnolia scale before the winter season sets in.

Protect the Trees Around Your Home or Business

Before these bugs and critters have a chance to infest your property’s trees, you should have the trees treated by an expert. Our team can provide the tree treatment services in Bucks County, PA, that you need to prevent tree damage.

Is my tree healthy?” If this is the question you’re asking yourself right now, you may have already noticed something seems off about your tree, and it may be sick from an insect infestation. You’ll want to get in touch with a certified arborist to determine if your tree is being destroyed by one of the common fall pests in Pennsylvania. Together, we can come up with a plan of action to manage your pest situation.

If you need tree treatment, tree removal, or local stump grinding services, contact All The Above Tree Service today!

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