Maple trees are popular, especially in Canada and throughout North America. Maple trees’ striking beauty makes them a favoured choice for landscaping. However, like all trees, their beautiful branches have a few enemies, particularly insects.
The first step to preventing insect damage on maple trees is identifying any harm done. Different insects cause various abuse to maple trees. Find the type of damage and you will be able to find the insect responsible and solve these problems.
Here are a few ways to determine insect damage to maples:
1. Check branches. Certain insects like “scale insects” are common enemies of maple trees. They feed off of a tree’s nutrients. This feeding results in the slow death of branches and leaves. Maple trees can combat a small number of these insects but a big group can be a problem and hinder a maple tree’s growth.
2. Inspect leaf damage. If you see huge chunks taken from leaves, this may mean you have a beetle or moth problem. Both moths and beetles can strip foliage right off maple trees. Failing to take care of this problem can stress out trees and leave them vulnerable to disease.
3. Observe stunted growth. A number of factors can impede the growth of maple trees. If you notice abnormal growth speed and twig dieback (death caused by injury to roots or caused by bacteria/fungi/insects) then your maple tree may be infested with “bark aphids.”
4. Look for defoliation. Defoliation means that a large amount of the leaves/branches were destroyed. If you find silk bags attached to branches, bagworms may be the cause. They can be easily handled using insecticides.
Maple trees are appreciated in any yard or park, but they sometimes require special care. Call Caledon Treeland for beautiful maple tree purchases. Contact us at (905) 880-1828.