How do you treat birch tree borers?

Systemic insecticides such as imidacloprid or dinotefuran, depending on the pesticide label, can be applied as a tree injection, soil injection, or soil drench. They are effective in controlling larvae feeding inside the tree.

Where are bronze birch borer found?

The bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius) is found throughout the birch range in the U.S. and Canada. It attacks and breeds in paper birch, yellow birch, gray birch, western birch, water birch, and sweet birch, and has been found in stands of beech and aspen. Paper and yellow birch are the preferred hosts.

What is killing the birch trees?

Birch dieback tends to attack trees that are under stress, such as from drought, through winter kill or exposure to phenoxy herbicides used to control broad-leafed weeds in cereal crops.

How do you protect a birch tree?

To prevent infestation, place your birch tree in ideal growing conditions: a well-drained, moist spot with protection from harsh summer heat. Keeping your birch tree well-watered and mulched is critical to your tree’s success. Wood chips, shredded bark and leaf compost provide the best mulch.

How long do birch trees live?

A healthy birch tree should be able to survive and thrive for 40-50 years. In many yards, however, it is not unusual for birch trees, especially the white-barked birches, to die well before reaching 20 years of age.

How can you tell if a birch borer is bronze?

Bronze Birch Borer Description: Signs of this pest include off-color and sparse foliage in the upper canopy of the birch tree, dead branches in the upper crown, and swollen ridges on the trunk and branches. Small, D-shaped holes in the bark are the exit points of the adult beetle.

What is the life expectancy of a birch tree?

Do birch beetles bite?

These bugs are common in small numbers in homes during fall as well as winter and spring. They don’t bite or sting and are harmless to people and their property.

Can I cut the top off a birch tree?

Removing more than twenty-five percent of the canopy of a tree at one time weakens it and may be fatal. Never top a tree. Remove branches less than 2 inches (5 cm.) in diameter as close as possible to the collar, or thickened area where the branch attaches to the trunk.