Name: Daisy I
Reno, Nv (Zone 6b)
Not all who wander are lost
Answer from DaisyIAugust 26, 2017
Are there any green leaves on your tree?
Your tree has borers. The trunk looks bad because the bark is delaminating as the borers eat the soft layers underneath. Those layers just under the bark are the phloem (the conduit for moisture and nutrients traveling between the leaves and the roots) and the cambium (the trunk's growth center). A tree can't survive without those layers. Once the bark is gone around the entire tree, the nutrient and moisture exchange between roots and leaves will be severed and the tree will die.
The borers may have been the original problem or, more likely, moved in when they saw an opening due to mechanical damage (rabbits, lawn mowers, weed whacker), sunburn, poor pruning habits or poor irrigational practices . The ants are feeding on the 'dew' left behind by the borers.
By the time you see this much damage, there's not much hope of saving your tree. The borers can't be killed once they enter the tree. Your best bet is to try and find something that will kill the eggs and beetles. Dormant sprays in winter will suffocate overwinter eggs and painting the trunk will keep the adults from laying eggs. The borers will spread to other trees.
|
Name: Carol
Santa Ana, ca
Sunset zone 22, USDA zone 10 A.
A comment from ctcarolAugust 26, 2017
| I agree with everything Daisy said, with one possible exception. There is/was an injectable product for borers that has to be administered by professionals. It may not be licensed in your state, however. In any case your tree is too far gone, I think |
Name: Daisy I
Reno, Nv (Zone 6b)
Not all who wander are lost
A comment from DaisyIAugust 26, 2017
We used to be able to get something in CA that killed them (it took a couple years) but it has been banned.
It would be worth checking with your local farm bureau or Ag Extension. |
Name: Carol
Santa Ana, ca
Sunset zone 22, USDA zone 10 A.
A comment from ctcarolAugust 27, 2017
| Bark beetles are not easy to spot. They bore a hole in the bark and lay their eggs in it. The resulting offspring live under the bark. If you don't see the holes, you won't know thet're there until the damage is done. |
