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Sapsucker damage on bald cypress
The yellowbellied sapsucker is a pretty bird that drills holes in rows, columns or rings around the trunks or limbs of your trees, especially young live oaks but also other tree species. Do they hurt anything? You bet they do. This woodpecker, also called red-headed sapsucker, is attractive - but a real menace. Its damage can kill limbs, trunks or entire trees. The solution is to remove the stress that exists in the targeted trees. That's done by applying the Sick Tree Treatment with the first and most important step being the dramatic exposure of the root flare.
Sapsucker damage on young live oak
When a tree is in stress, sugars in the sap concentrate to help fight infirmities and to help repair injuries. Certain animals, like the sapsucker, can detect the sugar concentration and attack those areas. The birds drill the holes in tidy rows so the sap flows in and is easy to suck out. Other animals that will also take advantage of the sweet concentration of sap include butterflies, mice, rats, rabbits and squirrels. We know this from observation and common sense as well as from the research at the USDA's Northwest Forest Experiment Station. Lawrence Kilhan also backs up this theory in his book Woodpeckers of Eastern North America.
Juvenile yellow-bellied sapsucker
To solve this highly damaging problem, splash some hydrogen peroxide on the wounds, then smear on some homemade Tree Trunk Goop. The formula is one third each - compost, soft rock phosphate and natural diatomaceous earth with water. Then apply the entire Sick Tree Treatment procedure to improve the health of the tree so the sapsuckers or other damaging animals won’t be attracted to return.
Adult yellow-bellied sapsucker
It will also help to use the gentle organic fertilizers only, none of the high nitrogen synthetic stuff, make sure the soil is aerated rather than compacted, avoid physical damage to trunks and limbs and maintain the proper soil moisture. The most important thing is to make sure the root (trunk) flare is kept well exposed and not covered with soil or mulch. Arborists can do this work with the Air Spade or Air Knife. Homeowners can do the work with hand tools such as the hori hori (Japanese planting knife) if great care is taken to avoid damaging the flare while the work is done. Loose soil can be removed with hard brushes and blowers.
Hori hori or Japanese planting knife
Damage showing bleeding and random holes indicates borer beetle larva damage and needs a different treatment. Applying orange oil to the injured trunk area at about 8 ounces per gallon of water will kill the borer insects. Don’t spray or treat foliage with this strong mix. The Sick Tree Treatment will prevent the borers return.
Dallas Morning News - March 15, 2018
Sapsucker Damage is Indeed Serious but Can be Stopped
Sapsucker damage on bald cypress
The yellowbellied sapsucker is a pretty bird that drills holes in rows, columns or rings around the trunks or limbs of your trees, especially young live oaks but also other tree species. Do they hurt anything? You bet they do. This woodpecker, also called red-headed sapsucker, is attractive - but a real menace. Its damage can kill limbs, trunks or entire trees. The solution is to remove the stress that exists in the targeted trees. That's done by applying the Sick Tree Treatment with the first and most important step being the dramatic exposure of the root flare.
Sapsucker damage on young live oak
When a tree is in stress, sugars in the sap concentrate to help fight infirmities and to help repair injuries. Certain animals, like the sapsucker, can detect the sugar concentration and attack those areas. The birds drill the holes in tidy rows so the sap flows in and is easy to suck out. Other animals that will also take advantage of the sweet concentration of sap include butterflies, mice, rats, rabbits and squirrels. We know this from observation and common sense as well as from the research at the USDA's Northwest Forest Experiment Station. Lawrence Kilhan also backs up this theory in his book Woodpeckers of Eastern North America.
Juvenile yellow-bellied sapsucker
To solve this highly damaging problem, splash some hydrogen peroxide on the wounds, then smear on some homemade Tree Trunk Goop. The formula is one third each - compost, soft rock phosphate and natural diatomaceous earth with water. Then apply the entire Sick Tree Treatment procedure to improve the health of the tree so the sapsuckers or other damaging animals won’t be attracted to return.
Adult yellow-bellied sapsucker
It will also help to use the gentle organic fertilizers only, none of the high nitrogen synthetic stuff, make sure the soil is aerated rather than compacted, avoid physical damage to trunks and limbs and maintain the proper soil moisture. The most important thing is to make sure the root (trunk) flare is kept well exposed and not covered with soil or mulch. Arborists can do this work with the Air Spade or Air Knife. Homeowners can do the work with hand tools such as the hori hori (Japanese planting knife) if great care is taken to avoid damaging the flare while the work is done. Loose soil can be removed with hard brushes and blowers.
Hori hori or Japanese planting knife
Damage showing bleeding and random holes indicates borer beetle larva damage and needs a different treatment. Applying orange oil to the injured trunk area at about 8 ounces per gallon of water will kill the borer insects. Don’t spray or treat foliage with this strong mix. The Sick Tree Treatment will prevent the borers return.
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