Tree Pests Archives - Barts Tree Service

Spotted Lanternfly in Connecticut: What You Need to Know

You can help prevent a beer, wine, and fruit shortage in Connecticut – by keeping an eye out for a sneaky, hitchhiking, spotted invader called the spotted lanternfly.

What is the Spotted Lanternfly?

Spotted lanternfly on a green leaf with wings outstretched

Get to know the spotted lanternfly, an invasive pest that could destroy agricultural crops, trees, and plants

The spotted lanternfly (SLF) is a pest native to China, India, and Vietnam. And while it is spotted (and quite colorful), it is more closely related to a grasshopper than a fly. It gets wings at adulthood, but it spends much of its life hopping rather than flying. So, then, you might wonder, how did this pest spread?

People.

The spotted lanternfly is a skilled hitchhiker, hitching a ride on vehicles, firewood, outdoor equipment, plants, bricks, construction equipment…pretty much anything that’s not moving. Spotted lanternflies lay egg masses on nearly any relatively smooth surface and if the egg masses are not spotted and the object is transported elsewhere, the spotted lanternfly has spread.

How This Hopping Pest Relates to Hops (and Wines)

Hop vines, which are needed in beer production, are a favorite snack of the SLF

The spotted lanternfly’s preferred food is the tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus), but there are over 70 different plant species that it will feed on – including hops and grapevines, which, as you know, are needed to create beer and wine.

SLF does damage not only by feeding on plant sap (it’s kind of like a vampire sucking out blood), but they also leave a sugary liquid mess (called honeydew) that attracts other pests. After a while, honeydew enables the growth of black sooty mold, an unsightly fungus that weakens the plant over time.

So yeah, this spotted bug is bad news.

Are there spotted lanternflies in Connecticut?

A gray, shiny spotted lanternfly egg mass blends in on a pallet of wood. A blue garbage bin is in the background

Spotted lanternfly egg masses are grayish and somewhat shiny. Can you spot one in this picture?

One spotted lanternfly was spotted in Southbury, Connecticut in October 2019.

Spotted lanternfly was first found in the United States in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014, and has since spread to several other states. Some of those states, such as New Jersey, now have quarantines in place to try to prevent the spread. However, even a quarantine cannot prevent human error, which is why it’s vital that you learn all you can about this pest that could harm the agricultural industry of Connecticut, as well as the trees and plants in your yard.

What should I look for?

SLF egg masses from September through June

SLF egg mass was hidden inside this dumpster

Eggs are laid from September through December, but may not hatch until June. Look for a gray, shiny blob. They’re not very noticeable, which is why they’ve been able to travel as far as they have already.

SLF nymphs April through September

Spotted lanternfly nymphs on a plant stem

SLF nymphs suck out the inside of plant stems and leaves

Once they hatch, spotted lanternflies go through several stages of nymphs. These nymphs are small and black with white dots and then slightly larger and red and black with white dots. They don’t have wings yet but they will start to feed on young plants (usually the stems and leaves) at this stage.

SLF adults July through December

Spotted lanternflies gather on a tree trunk

Adult spotted lanternflies swarm on a tree trunk

Spotted lanternfly adults appear in late July, now with wings (though they only fly short distances). Adult spotted lanternflies seem to flock to tree-of-heaven and grape vines at this stage, though they’ll feed on other trees and plants as well.

What trees and plants do spotted lanternflies attack in Connecticut?

Tree-of-heaven with blue sky in the background

Tree-of-heaven is the spotted lanternfly’s preferred source of food

Already mentioned are the tree-of-heaven, hops, and grapevines. Fruit trees such as apples, cherries, and peaches in Connecticut are at risk from the SLF, as well as almost 50% of our “forest trees.”

Grapes and other fruits and vines are in danger from the spotted lanternfly

According to DEEP, these are the 10 forest trees most vulnerable to the SLF in Connecticut:

Red Maple
Sweet Birch
Sugar Maple
American Beech
Eastern Hemlock
Eastern White Pine
Northern Red Oak
American Hornbeam
Yellow Birch
White Oak

What should I do if I see a spotted lanternfly?

A man's shoe about to crush several spotted lanternflies on the ground

If you see a spotted lanternfly, destroy it and report it!

Here in the states, the spotted lanternfly has no natural predator, so it is up to us to stop it!

If it’s in any of the mobile phases (nymphs or adults with wings), squish it (stepping on it works well). And then take a photo and note your location. Send the picture(s) and location to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) at ReportSLF@ct.gov.

If you spot egg masses, scrape them off, double bag them (you can add hand sanitizer to make sure they’re not able to hatch), and report your findings the same way as above. Do not move the object where the egg mass was found from the site!

Hopefully, it won’t reach this point in Connecticut, but in Pennsylvania, spotted lanternflies are everywhere. Flying into people’s hair, covering buildings, destroying plants and trees, and more.

One man’s sons suggested that he create an app based on how many spotted lanternflies a person could squash – so he did! It is appropriately called “Squishr.” You can find it on the app store here. For Android users, click here.

How can I protect my trees and plants from SLF?

Here are the primary ways to protect your Connecticut yard and garden, as well as our forests and agricultural crops, from spotted lanternfly.

Familiarize yourself with what the spotted lanternfly looks like and be on the lookout for it.
Destroying any of these pests that you see.
If you travel to or from a quarantined area, follow inspection procedures, especially if you are transporting anything that could have SLF eggs attached to it.
If you have a tree-of-heaven on your property, you may want to remove it. Many consider it an invasive and “weedy” tree anyway, so it is usually a good one to remove. We can help you remove it, grind out the stump, and suggest a different tree for that area instead.
Look for signs of honeydew and sooty mold in your trees. Call us if you see either as they’re not always a result of SLF infestation; other common and easily treated insects, such as aphids, can cause the same symptoms.
Check your trees for oozing sap, large numbers of bees or wasps, or an unpleasant fermented smell. These are common signs of SLF feeding.

Sadly, we do expect to see more of the spotted lanternfly in Connecticut this next year. If you spot any damage from SLF or aren’t sure if your trees are tree-of-heaven, contact us for a complimentary inspection.

If you want to protect your trees before the SLF becomes a problem in Connecticut, we have preventative insecticides available. They work best when applied in the late spring or summer and can protect your tree for about a year.

Once the SLF is in Connecticut, we have professional treatment options available to treat the pest. However, at this point, being aware and diligent are the best methods of prevention.

Why is the Bark Falling Off My Ash Tree?

Ash blonding – Notice the lighter colored bark and the bark chunks at the base of the tree

Many area residents are noticing a strange phenomenon – the bark on ash trees is falling off in pieces, giving the trunk a blond appearance. Often, there are small pieces of bark on the ground at the base of the tree. And sometimes you’ll see woodpeckers feverishly pecking at the tree trunk.

What’s going on?

What you’re seeing is one of the more visible signs of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation. Called “ash blonding”, it refers to the lighter color of the inner bark that becomes visible as the outer bark is removed by woodpeckers searching for borers under the bark.

What’s an Emerald Ash Borer?

EAB is the most devastating threat to Connecticut forests since Dutch elm disease and chestnut blight and far outpaces ash yellows as the leading cause of death for our ash trees. Ash trees across the state are dying at an alarming rate, with little sign of the infestation slowing down.

The emerald green insect itself is tiny – less than 0.5” long – but the borer (immature phase of the EAB lifecycle) does a lot of damage by feeding on the vessels that transport nutrients up and down the tree, cutting off the tree’s nutrient supply.

Emerald Ash Borer was confirmed in the Danbury area in 2016, with surrounding towns quickly following. The map below shows the prevalence of EAB across Connecticut in July of 2018.

How Can I Tell If My Ash Tree Has EAB?

There are several telltale signs of EAB infestation –

The tree canopy has few leaves and/or large dead areas
If you peel back the bark, you’ll see serpentine tunnels caused by borers feeding on the tissue
There are tiny D-shaped holes in the bark caused by the adult borers leaving the tree

As the infestation worsens, you may notice woodpeckers aggressively tearing at the bark. They’re trying to find the beetles (to turn them into a meal) and, in the process, are also removing pieces of the tree’s outer bark. As the lighter-colored inner bark starts to show through, the tree takes on a flecked appearance. Eventually, as more and more outer bark is removed, the tree trunk starts to look blond, rather than brown.

D-shaped hole in ash tree bark and eab galleries

Signs of EAB infestation include D-shaped exit holes (left) and serpentine galleries under the bark (right).

What Should I Do?

First, determine whether or not you have any ash trees on your property. If you’re unsure, give us a call at 203-240-1302 – we’ll be happy to identify and inspect the trees on your property.

If you have ash trees, examine them closely for signs of EAB infestation. This should be done by a Certified Arborist because early signs often appear high in the tree canopy and are easy to miss.

Depending on the condition of the tree, you have several options –

If the tree is healthy:

Preemptively cut down the tree to eliminate the chance of EAB infestation.
If you’d like to save the tree, have a professional treat it with a systemic insecticide. There are no over-the-counter treatments available to homeowners in Connecticut so the insecticide must be applied by a licensed arborist.

Doing nothing is NOT an option. It’s not a case of if the tree will be infected, but when.

If the tree is infested with EAB but has no more than 30% canopy dieback:

Have a licensed arborist apply a systemic insecticide to protect the tree from further damage. If the infestation is caught early enough, the tree can be treated and saved.
Remove the tree to avoid spreading EAB to neighboring trees or properties.

If the tree is heavily infested or dead:

Tree removal is the only option at this point.

Hint: Signs of ash blonding usually indicate that the tree is heavily infested and/or nearly dead.

Removing a tree that has died due to EAB infestation is a tricky job that can be extremely dangerous. Ash trees lose their structural integrity when they die, leaving them prone to unexpected and catastrophic failure.

This is NOT a DIY job! Only hire a Certified Arborist with the experience, skills and specialized equipment needed to safely remove a dead ash tree. And check their insurance papers to ensure that you and the tree crew are fully protected.

If you see signs of ash blonding on your trees, would like to preserve a healthy ash tree or need to have a dead ash tree removed, please call us at 203-240-1302.

You can also learn more about our Emerald Ash Borer Treatment Program.

How To Protect Trees From Deer Antler Rubbing

Deer tear off tree bark by rubbing their antlers against the trunk

What are those scrape marks on my tree?!

Deer damage to trees is the result of bucks rubbing and scraping their antlers against trees which causes significant damage to the tree’s vascular system. Deer do this to remove the velvet from their antlers and it usually occurs from early fall into winter.

Deer also rub trees during the mating season to attract females or to mark their territory, warning other males to stay away. This activity can result in broken branches and torn tree bark.

So, what can you do about it?

Keep Deer Away from Your Trees

Since deer usually return to the same location, it’s important to know how to protect your trees from deer, especially if the trees have previously been damaged.

The best thing you can do to protect your trees from deer antler rubbing is to prevent the deer from getting close to the tree trunk or branches. This can be done surrounding your trees with deer fencing or using other barriers that offer deer rub tree protection. Repellent sprays are generally not effective for deer rub problems.

>> However, sprays ARE effective at preventing deer browsing. If deer are eating your plants, give us a call at 203-240-1302 to learn how we can save your trees, shrubs and garden beds from hungry deer.

A wire or plastic mesh sleeve can be effective in preventing deer rub damage

Use Deer Fencing for Multiple Trees

Fencing is the most effective way to protect trees from deer as it keeps them away from the entire tree (including branches and leaves, which hungry deer may be tempted to eat if they can reach it). If you have many trees, surround the entire area with woven-wire fencing. However, in order to be effective, it must be at least six to eight feet tall. Deer are great jumpers and will clear vertical fences without difficulty.

Use Tree Guards to Protect Individual Trees

Another way to provide protection is to wrap the tree trunk itself with chicken wire or one of the commercially available types of plastic tree guards.

Some tree guards are made of mesh plastic netting. Others are created from a vinyl spiral that wraps around the trunk but still allows it to grow naturally. They are usually available in rolls and can be cut to the required length. Because they can be cut to size, these types of tree guards work well on larger trees, as well as small ones.

A plastic sleeve wraps around the tree trunk to deer can’t reach the bark

Plastic tubes or pipes that have been cut down one side (lengthwise) can also be fitted around the trunks of trees in an effort to protect trees from deer. This works best for smaller diameter trees. Be sure to choose a plastic that’s white or light in color so it does not produce heat against the tree trunk from the sun.

These wraps and pipes can also protect the tree trunk from sunscald caused by intense sun reflecting off the snow, which has been known to blister or crack the bark.

If you’re having problems with deer eating your trees and shrubs, check out our article on preventing deer damage.

American Chestnut Blight: An Update & Next Steps

Until the 1930s, America’s eastern forests were dominated by the American chestnuts (Castanea dentata). One in four trees was a chestnut – there were millions of chestnut trees covering the landscape. The majestic hardwood trees reached up to 100 feet tall and were favored by Native Americans and early settlers for their fine timber and edible nuts. The nuts were also essential to wildlife.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Chestnut blight, a deadly fungal disease introduced to the United States from Asia in the early 1900s, destroyed our chestnut forests and threatened the very existence of these important trees.

Since then, tree breeders and researchers have worked to find blight-resistant varieties to bring American chestnuts back to our landscapes and forests. And, after years of research and millions of dollars of investment, it looks like they may be succeeding!

American Chestnut Restoration

Organizations such as The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) are on the forefront of research dedicated to restoring these important North American trees to our forests. Over 25 years ago they created the American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project, an effort spearheaded by researchers at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. In that time, lots of hopeful discoveries have been made.

Many blight-resistant American chestnut varieties have been found — TACF calls them “Restoration Chestnuts”. Some were collected in the wild, others bred with blight resistant Chinese chestnuts, and still others genetically engineered with blight-resistant genes.

All of these varieties have brought us closer to having truly disease resistant American chestnuts, but researchers have taken the effort one step further. They realized a more intensive, collaborative effort was needed to repopulate our forests with these ecologically vital trees.

Ten Thousand Chestnut Challenge

In 2014, TACF launched a crowd-funded campaign called the “Ten Thousand Chestnut Challenge”. The challenge was to plant 10,000 chestnuts in eastern research orchards where resistant American chestnuts could be bred for disease resistance and diversity.

If successful, they will select disease-resistant chestnuts able to grow in many regions across eastern North America for forest repopulation.

Donors gave $101,911 to support the campaign, and over the last three years thousands of trees have been planted to meet the 10,000 chestnut goal.

Chestnut Blight Restoration Progress

So, what progress have they made?

The American Chestnut Foundation has helped plant over 1.8 million blight-resistant Restoration Chestnut seedlings in eight states since 2009. These have been planted in both forests as well as public and home landscapes. Highly blight-resistant American chestnut varieties from the Ten Thousand Chestnut Challenge also show great promise and are being planted and monitored.

American Chestnuts for Homeowners

So what does this mean for you, the homeowner?

These beautiful blight-resistant chestnut trees are great for wooded yards and edible landscapes, but everyday landscape nurseries don’t sell them, yet. The best way to get your own blight-resistant Restoration Chestnut is to join The American Chestnut Foundation. Members are sometimes offered these trees for home planting, and you can become part of the restoration process!

Facts About Gypsy Moth in Connecticut & How To Control Them

Gypsy Moth Attacking Your Trees?

Call Today For a Complimentary Inspection & Treatment Estimate

203-240-1302

We’ve been relatively lucky so far in the Danbury area and Fairfield County – most of the recent gypsy moth infestations and the resulting defoliation of trees took place in eastern Connecticut. But this year could turn out to be much worse for us.

What Is a Gypsy Moth?

The gypsy moth is a small nondescript moth that’s usually active for a short period of time in mid to late July. It’s not the moth we need to worry about though – it’s the caterpillars.

You’ve probably seen gypsy moth caterpillars before. They’re hairy critters with a double row of blue and red dots down their back. And they hang from trees by thin silk threads, getting in your hair and on your clothes whenever you walk under a tree. Ugh.

The female gypsy moth lays eggs in a mass of up to 1000 eggs that hatch into caterpillars in late April to early May. The caterpillars climb up into nearby trees and start eating – and eating and eating …

Their favorite plant to eat seems to be oak trees, although they’ll also munch their way through apple, birch, poplar and willow. They’ll generally leave conifers alone, except during a heavy outbreak.

Gypsy Moth Damage in Connecticut

In years when we have a bad gypsy moth outbreak in Connecticut, nearly all the trees in the area will be completely defoliated. For example, in 1981 over 1.5 million acres of trees lost all their leaves.

More recently, we’ve seen an increase in the number and severity of gypsy moth outbreaks in Connecticut. 2015 saw over 180,000 acres defoliated and 2016 was even worse, with 204,167 acres affected. What’s even more concerning is that the latest outbreak saw many trees completely stripped of leaves, including trees that normally aren’t targeted by the gypsy moth, such as spruce, pine and hemlock.

A healthy tree can usually survive being defoliated once in a season. It’ll generally grow back most of its leaves before fall, although some of the tree may look a little sparse. But older or stressed trees (such as during a drought) will have difficulty regenerating leaves, may become vulnerable to attack by other insects or disease, and may not have the stored energy needed to survive through the winter.

After two or three consecutive years of defoliation, even the healthiest tree will probably die.

Why Has Gypsy Moth Damage Been Worse Lately?

For many years, the gypsy moth population in Connecticut has been controlled by a fungus called Entomophaga maimaiga. It’s harmless to humans and other animals (including pollinators and beneficial insects) but it’s deadly for the gypsy moth caterpillar.

The problem is that the fungus needs a certain amount of moisture from early season rains in May and June in order to be activated. In dry springs, like the last two years, the fungus can’t grow and spread fast enough to infect a significant number of caterpillars. As a result, we end up with a caterpillar outbreak.

How To Control Gypsy Moths

Rather than waiting to see what may happen with weather in spring and hoping that the maimaiga fungus will bring down the gypsy moth population, most homeowners choose to proactively treat their trees to control gypsy moth.

There are two ways to control the spread and amount of damage caused by gypsy moths –

preventive treatments (such as removing egg masses) and
directly targeting the caterpillars with a variety of insecticides.

Targeting adults (after the caterpillar stage) and pupa (before the caterpillar emerges) generally isn’t effective.

Preventive Treatments for Gypsy Moth

Prevention focuses on two things – preventing eggs from hatching and preventing caterpillars from reaching the tree canopy where they feed.

One option is to manually remove egg masses by scraping them off surfaces and destroying them (such as by drowning them in soapy water – just leaving them on the ground won’t kill them). The problem with this is that egg masses can be high up in the trees where you can’t reach them, they’re hard to see, and they can be on just about any surface, including your car! Plus, even if you eliminated all egg masses on your own property, young caterpillars can be blown in from neighboring properties.

You can also spray trees and other surfaces with a horticultural oil or insecticidal soap to completely soak egg masses. This prevents them from hatching. Be sure to do it before eggs start hatching in late April! Because you need to cover all egg masses, this is something best done by an arborist who has the spray equipment to reach all areas.

To prevent caterpillars from climbing tree trunks, you can place a band around the trunk to trap caterpillars as they climb. This is usually a folded piece of burlap or a sticky band. You’ll have to kill the trapped caterpillars so this isn’t something for the squeamish person!

Chemical & Biological Treatments for Gypsy Moth

These types of treatments are best applied by a CT Licensed Arborist who has the spray or tree injection equipment necessary to get full coverage of all trees on your property. And some treatments can only be applied by a Licensed Arborist who’s licensed by the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

The best results are achieved after the caterpillars have hatched but are still relatively young – some time in mid-May to mid-June. It usually only requires one treatment, although if there’s a heavy outbreak or your neighbor hasn’t treated their trees, you may need a second treatment.

How Barts Controls Gypsy Moth

We prefer to avoid spraying when possible (it can be hard to control exactly where the spray goes when spraying large trees and some residents have health and safety concerns about insecticidal sprays).

Instead, we use TREE-äge® from Arborjet – a highly effective insecticide with a long residual (meaning that it stays active in the tree for a couple of years) that’s injected directly into the tree trunk. We find that this systemic approach (meaning that the treatment is dispersed throughout the entire tree, not just on the surface or on some parts) is much more effective than foliar sprays.

And, because it’s injected into the tree, there’s no risk of chemical exposure to you, your family or pets on your property.

Plus, your trees only need treatment every two years instead of annually.

Although you can treat with TREE-äge at any time during the growing season, September is the ideal time to do a tree injection to protect your trees from gypsy moths. This means that the trees are fully protected going into next year’s growing season.

Call us today at 203-240-1302 to set up a complimentary gypsy moth consultation. We’ll take a look at your trees, discuss your treatment preferences and recommend the best option for controlling gypsy moth on your property.

How To Prevent Winter Deer Damage

If there are deer in your neighborhood then they’ve probably stopped by your property to feed. As deer populations increase in Connecticut, more and more homeowners are faced with the problem of trying to keep them away from landscape plants, especially in winter when there’s little other food available to hungry deer.

An adult deer eats between 6 to 7 pounds of plant material every day. With that kind of voracious appetite, it won’t take long for them to totally decimate the plantings on your property.

Deer also carry ticks that spread Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. Although deer may look cute, you definitely don’t want them hanging around your home!

So what can you do to keep deer away?

Below are the most effective ways to prevent deer browsing. However, if winter weather is harsh enough and food becomes scarce, deer will munch on just about anything. This includes normally “deer-resistant” plants and shrubs, as well as some plants that have been sprayed with repellents that are highly effective under normal conditions.

Effective Ways to Prevent Deer Damage

Spray Repellents

The deer spray Barts uses lasts 6 months and has no color to stain your property

For most homeowners, the easiest and most economical approach to keeping deer away is a spray repellent program starting in the fall. This spray is innocuous to plants and shrubs while smelling and/or tasting bad to the deer.

Here in Connecticut, deer repellent sprays should be applied September through December when temperatures are above freezing. Application earlier in the browsing cycle (September and October) leads to much better results.

There are two types of deer repellents, contact repellents and area repellents. Contact repellents are applied directly to plants, causing them to taste bad (this is what we use at Barts). Area repellents are placed in a problem area and repel by their foul odor but we haven’t found these to be as effective.

Spray repellents should be applied on a dry day with temperatures above freezing. We treat young trees completely and older trees may be treated only on their new growth and buds. Treat to a height 6 feet above the maximum expected snow depth. Deer browse from the top down.

Home-remedy deer repellents are questionable at best. These include small, fine-mesh bags of human hair and bar soap hung from branches of trees, among others. The only truly effective home remedy I’ve seen is a 100 lb dog in your yard. Deer don’t like things that remind them of wolves and they’ll generally stay clear.

At Barts Tree Service we spray “Deer Free Winter Armor” to protect your landscape from deer. This is a white pepper based product so as you can imagine it doesn’t taste good at all. The product lasts 6 months and is made right here in the USA. One of the best features of this product is that it dries clear, whereas most of the other deer repellent sprays on the market have a green dye which can stain your house, walkway or other infrastructure.

>> GET A DEER SPRAY ESTIMATE

Deer Fencing

Another option is to put up deer fencing around all plants that you want to protect. Keep in mind that this fencing must be 8 feet tall – anything shorter and deer can jump over it! If you have a few specimen trees or large flower beds, this can be a good choice as there’s no need to spray once the fence is up. The downside is the work involved in actually putting up the fence and the space needed to store it during the warmer months.

Electric fences also can be used. Electric fences should be of triple-galvanized, high-tensile, 13.5-gauge wire carrying a current of 35 milliamps and 3,000 to 4,500 volts. Several configurations of electric fences are used: vertical five-, seven-, or nine-wire; slanted seven-wire; single strand; and others. When using a single strand electric fence it helps the deer to see that the wire is there if you mark it with cloth strips, tape or something similar. Otherwise, the deer may not see it in time and go right through it.

Wrapping in Burlap

If you only have smaller shrubs to protect, you may want to simply wrap them in burlap. Not only does this protect them from grazing deer, but it protects the shrubs from drying out in the cold winter winds. You can learn more about this in our article on preventing winter browning in evergreens.

And if you’re having problems with bucks damaging your trees by rubbing their antlers against the trunk, check out our article on preventing deer rub damage.

Emerald Ash Borer Treatment For Connecticut

Save Your Ash Trees Before It’s Too Late

By the time you see obvious signs of infestation in your ash tree, Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been there for years and it’s usually too late to save the tree. That’s why preventive treatment is so important.

EAB was confirmed in the Danbury area in 2017, putting all local ash trees at risk from this devastating pest. It’s no longer a matter of if ash trees in our area will be infected, but when it will happen.

Don’t Take Chances With Your Ash Trees

Call us for your free ash tree inspection and EAB treatment plan.

Call 203-240-1302 Today

The brief video below explains how ash trees can be saved from EAB and what happens when they aren’t treated with a preventive insecticide.

What To Do If You Have Ash Trees

The best thing you can do right away is to assess how EAB has or will impact your property.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I have ash trees on my property?
Are they in good health?
Do I want to save them?

If you answered “yes” to all three questions then it’s time to get a thorough EAB inspection.

Our licensed Arborists can determine whether or not EAB is present in your ash trees (they’ll climb into your tree because it’s not easy to see Emerald Ash Borers from the ground).

If there are no signs of EAB or only a light infestation (up to 30-40% of the tree), then your ash trees are a candidate for EAB prevention and treatment.

How To Protect Your Trees From Emerald Ash Borer

Arborjet TreeAge insecticide is injected directly into the tree – no spraying!

We’ve been treating ash trees for Emerald Ash Borer for years, using highly effective Arborjet tree injections with the industry-leading TreeAge insecticide. This product has a 90% efficacy in killing feeding insects and larva and is still effective even if a tree is up to 30%-40% infested with EAB.

TreeAge insecticide has a 2-year residual time frame so Emerald Ash Borer injections are only needed every two years.

And because it’s injected directly into the tree, there’s no spraying involved so you don’t have to worry about air-borne insecticide affecting your family, pets, or neighbors.

So if you have ash trees, give us a call to have one of the Barts Tree Service Licensed Arborists assess your ash trees for EAB. And if you’re not sure what kinds of trees you have, we’ll happily take a look and identify them for you.

Don’t Wait Until Your Ash Trees Are Dying

Treat them quickly and eliminate Emerald Ash Borer

Call 203-240-1302 Today

Barts Finds Emerald Ash Borer in Danbury

Tree-killing pest found in Danbury

This article first appeared in the Danbury NewsTimes.

DANBURY — Four years after it was discovered in Connecticut, an invasive insect that is killing ash trees across the country has been found in Danbury.

A contractor working on Maplewood Drive this week found an ash tree infected with the emerald ash borer, a small, green non-native species of beetle so destructive that it is expected to all but wipe out ash trees in the Northeast in as little as a decade.

City and state officials said Friday this is the first report of an ash borer infestation in the city, but they were not surprised to hear it.

“This is not a new infestation,” said Katherine Dugas, a research assistant with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, or CAES. “What we’re seeing is confirmation, rather than an expansion.”

The insect showed up in Connecticut in 2012, a decade after its first appearance in Michigan. It is thought to have migrated from Asia.

Because the ash borer has established itself in at least 26 states, officials say, eradication is no longer considered possible. Instead, authorities have focused on slowing or preventing the spread of the insect into new areas by, for example, banning the moving of firewood.

Still, experts say, nearly every ash tree in Connecticut, and probably the entire northeast and eastern Canada, is destined to die.

Matt Bartelme, the contractor who spotted the infested tree near the New York state border this week, said Danbury’s ash trees are probably “doomed.”

“Now that we know that is in our area, all the ash trees are at a high risk of dying unless they’re chemically treated,” he said.

Other towns already affected include Newtown, New Milford, Sherman, Southbury and Bridgewater.

“It’s been around us,” Bartelme said. “It was just a matter of time until it got here.”

Gale Ridge, a CAES assistant agricultural scientist, said any trees within a 15-mile radius could be considered in danger.

Female ash borers lay their eggs under the bark of ash trees. When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the inner layers of the tree bark, cutting off the tree’s circulatory system. Nutrients then can’t reach the top of the tree, Bartelme said, so the crown and the top branches eventually die.

Trees tend to die within two to three years after becoming infested, but some last as long as eight years.

Other signs of infestation include D-shaped holes on the bark, horizontal tracks on the inner surface of the bark and unusual numbers of holes drilled by woodpeckers, for which ash borers are a favorite food.

Bartelme, who owns Barts Tree Service, said one of the best treatments is an insecticide known by the brand name Tree-äge, which is injected into the tree.

Another way of monitoring the spread of the ash borer is by noting the presence of a stingless wasp known as the smokey winged beetle bandit, which preys on the borer, Ridge said.

“We have research going on that is very promising to bring the population down,” she said.

Chris Martin, head of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s forestry division, said the insect could be active for up to five years before anyone notices.

“It’s very probable that the population has just grown and only now people are starting to notice that their ash trees are dying,” Martin said.

Infected trees should not be used as firewood because any larva or eggs underneath the bark could survive in cut wood long enough to find living hosts.

noliveira@newstimes.com, 203-731-3411, @olivnelson

This article first appeared in the Danbury NewsTimes.

Q&A: Can I Stop Emerald Ash Borers From Killing My Ash Trees?

Emerald Ash Borer

Q: I heard that Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is now threatening our local ash trees. Is there anything I can do to save my trees?

Emerald Ash Borer was first found in Prospect, Connecticut in 2012 and since then has spread to a large part of the state, infesting and killing ash trees as it goes.

It’s very difficult to see the early signs of EAB infestation since the insects lay eggs in the top of the tree first and then slowly move down over the next couple of years. Usually by the time you can see visible signs of infestation from the ground, EAB has been there for years.

But don’t panic – there’s still time to try to save your ash trees.

Arborjet TreeAge insecticide is injected directly into the tree – no spraying!

We’ve been performing Arborjet tree injections using the industry leading TreeAge insecticide, which has a 90% efficacy in killing feeding insects and larva. This product is still effective even if a tree is infested up to 30%-40%.

TreeAge insecticide has a 2-year residual time frame so injections are required only every two years. And because it’s injected directly into the tree there’s no spraying involved so you don’t have to worry about air-borne insecticide affecting your yard, pets, or family.

So if you have ash trees, give us a call to have Barts Tree Service Licensed Arborists come and assess your ash trees for EAB. And if you’re not sure what kinds of trees you have, we’ll happily take a look and identify them for you.

Don’t wait until your ash trees are dying – treat them quickly and eliminate EAB.

For more information visit www.Emeraldashborer.info and the CT DEEP page on EAB.

Preventing Winter Rodent Damage on Young Trees

Winter rodent damage to bark of a young tree

Winter rodent damage to the bark of a young tree

Mice, voles, rabbits and rodents can cause damage to young trees, saplings and shrubs during the winter months by feeding on bark, twigs, buds and foliage.

As snow accumulates around tree trunks and lower branches, it provides a great environment for little critters to tunnel around tree trunks. By tunneling under the snow, they can create a protected habitrail network for feeding, especially when deep snow on the ground is persistent.

This feeding can create small nibbling wounds in the bark and deeper layers of the tree which allow fungal and parasitic attacks come spring. In some cases, the damage can be severe enough where the trunk is girdled (eaten away entirely around the circumference) and cuts off vascular flow, killing the tree or shrub.

If the snow has a nice hard crust you will also see tree damage two or three feet off the ground – just above the snow level. Since rabbits and the like can stay on top of the snow pack while foraging, they have access to bark higher up the tree.

How to Prevent Winter Rodent Damage

Before the snow starts flying, wrap ¼ inch wire mesh around the bottom 24 inches of the tree. Be sure to sink the mesh 2 inches into the ground so the critters can’t get under it. Ensure the mesh is not too snug around the trunk and consider removing it each spring. There are also plastic tree guards that work well.

During the winter, shovel snow from around your small trees so as to eliminate the rodent habitrail feeding opportunity. This also allows predators, especially owls and hawks, to have a clear sight line to these rodents if they are going for a snack so it will naturally reduce the likelihood of rodent damage.

What is the Spotted Lanternfly?

How This Hopping Pest Relates to Hops (and Wines)

Are there spotted lanternflies in Connecticut?

What should I look for?

SLF egg masses from September through June

SLF nymphs April through September

SLF adults July through December

What trees and plants do spotted lanternflies attack in Connecticut?

What should I do if I see a spotted lanternfly?

How can I protect my trees and plants from SLF?

What’s an Emerald Ash Borer?

How Can I Tell If My Ash Tree Has EAB?

What Should I Do?

If the tree is healthy:

If the tree is infested with EAB but has no more than 30% canopy dieback:

If the tree is heavily infested or dead:

What are those scrape marks on my tree?!

Keep Deer Away from Your Trees

Use Deer Fencing for Multiple Trees

Use Tree Guards to Protect Individual Trees

American Chestnut Restoration

Ten Thousand Chestnut Challenge

Chestnut Blight Restoration Progress

American Chestnuts for Homeowners

Gypsy Moth Attacking Your Trees?

What Is a Gypsy Moth?

Gypsy Moth Damage in Connecticut

Why Has Gypsy Moth Damage Been Worse Lately?

How To Control Gypsy Moths

Preventive Treatments for Gypsy Moth

Chemical & Biological Treatments for Gypsy Moth

How Barts Controls Gypsy Moth

Effective Ways to Prevent Deer Damage

Spray Repellents

Deer Fencing

Wrapping in Burlap

Save Your Ash Trees Before It’s Too Late

Don’t Take Chances With Your Ash Trees

Call us for your free ash tree inspection and EAB treatment plan.

Call 203-240-1302 Today

What To Do If You Have Ash Trees

If you answered “yes” to all three questions then it’s time to get a thorough EAB inspection.

How To Protect Your Trees From Emerald Ash Borer

Don’t Wait Until Your Ash Trees Are Dying

Treat them quickly and eliminate Emerald Ash Borer

Call 203-240-1302 Today

Tree-killing pest found in Danbury

How to Prevent Winter Rodent Damage

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