Tree Pest & Disease Control

Tree Pest & Disease Control Strategies that limit environmental exposure.

Both pests and diseases can wreak havoc on the trees and plants on your property, negatively affecting its overall appeal. Protecting the trees and plants in your landscape from pests and diseases starts with a thorough and detailed inspection by an arborists at Schra Tree Care. Our plant health care experts are well-versed in the latest pest and tree disease treatments that limit environmental exposure and uses the least amount of pesticide. After careful examination, we can recommend the best tree pest control and tree disease treatments to keep your trees and plants strong, healthy, and beautiful.

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WONDERING IF YOUR TREE HAS A PEST OR DISEASE?

Most Common Tree Pest & Diseases

The most effective way to avoid serious tree damage, due to pests and diseases, is to take preventative measures.

The most effective treatment for aphids is a foliar spray or soil injection.

These services are typically completed in early spring when they are just starting to reproduce. They are oval shaped insects that can vary in color but are usually green, orange, or bright red.

Signs of aphids include wilting, yellowing, curling of leaves and in some instances can cause spots that turn black (known as sooty mold).

If you have an ash tree, it is at risk.

A trunk injection is the most effective treatment option for the emerald ash borer, providing very effective control of EAB for two years, with a single application, even under heavy infestation pressure. This service is typically completed in the spring between May and June or in the fall between August and September. It is a small, green jewel beetle that is native to Northeastern Asia.

When an ash tree is infested with EAB, the canopy of the tree will begin to thin and wither away. This happens because the borers chew into the bark and destroy the trees water and nutrient-rich tissues — cutting the supply of nutrients to the crown or canopy of the tree. Most of the canopy will die within two years of infestation.

Signs of an EAB infestation include thinning crown (very top of the tree), canopy dieback, S-shaped tunnels on the trunk and tiny, D-shaped exit holes, and splitting bark.

The most effective treatment for bark beetles is a uniform spray of the tree trunk and outer crown of tree.

The most effective treatment for bark beetles is a uniform spray of the tree trunk and outer crown of tree. Depending on the severity of the infestation and location of the tree, two treatments may be necessary. The first treatment is typically completed in early spring. The second treatment is typically completed in the summer.

Signs of IPS/bark beetle infestation include discolored crowns, single dying/dead branches, shedding bark, boring dust and holes in the bark.

Fire blight is a bacterial disease.

Fire blight typically effects fruit trees and can kill leaves and branches or the entire tree.

Management strategies for fire blight include pruning and chemical sprays.

Signs fire blight include dead branches, brown to blackened leaves, and discolored bark.

Unlike the Emerald Ash Borer, Lilac Ash Borer is native to North America.

Although not as damaging as the Emerald Ash Borer, unfortunately Lilac Ash Borer is commonly seen in ash trees around Northern Colorado, especially trees that are already stressed from drought conditions.

The most effective treatment for Lilac Ash Borer is uniform spray of the tree trunk and lower branches in the spring when eggs are being laid on the trunk and newly hatched caterpillars are tunneling into the bark.

Signs of Lilac Ash Borer infestation include odd shaped exit holes on the trunk, sawdust from larvae eating the bark, and disfigured bark on the tree trunk. Typically, the damage occurs on the lower part of the trunk.

Damage is typically minor to established trees, especially when identified early, that get enough water and nutrients.

If you notice any of these symptoms popping up in your trees, it could be a sign that the tree is chlorotic due to insufficient iron:

The newest leaves towards ends of branches are turning yellow, pale yellow or whitish but the veins of affected leaves remain green.
Brown spots developing between the veins and leaf margins are browning along the edge.

Colorado soils are mostly alkaline, causing most of the iron to be in an insoluble form not usable by plants which is what causes chlorosis (lack of chlorophyll) which is essentially due to insufficient iron.

The most effective treatment for treating a chlorotic tree is a combination of deep root fertilizer to give the tree an extra boost of nutrients and iron treatment. For larger trees, we recommend an Iron Trunk Injection in the fall. For smaller trees, we recommend an Iron Basil Drench in the spring/and or fall.

The Zimmerman/Pine Tip Moth damages pine trees by tunneling into the tree trunk and branches.

Scotch and Austrian pines are the most susceptible.

The most effective treatment for Zimmerman/Pine Tip Moth is a foliar spray. This treatment is usually applied in late April to early May.

Signs of The Zimmerman/Pine Tip Moth are pale yellow, bubbling sap.

Pay close attention to how some leaves or blossoms may look differently than a majority of the tree.

Tree pests and diseases are easier to spot during the spring, summer, and early fall.

Don’t make the mistake of ignoring potential ash tree disease.

Schra Tree Care offers treatment plans, as well as management options to restore the health of your landscape's green assets.

It is necessary to be 100 percent positive about the disease or pest bothering your tree because an improper treatment could cause the tree to die. It’s not worth it to “try out” an experiment treatment if you aren’t sure it’s exactly what your tree needs to recover. If you have any suspicion that your tree’s health might be compromised, reach out us right away.