Signs of Borer Insects in Fort Worth, Texas

What are Borer Insects?

Borer insects are some of the most deadly insects that can infest your tree.  They can seriously damage the tree’s health and ultimately kill the tree. Borer insects are more difficult to diagnose because once they enter the tree their destruction is within the tree’s inner core. These insects eat the tree’s tissue and plant cells that disperse nutrients and water throughout the tree’s vascular structure. Tree care specialists agree that there is no time to waste when borer activity is suspected. Early symptoms are an overall unhealthy appearance to the tree, a thinning canopy and holes in the trunk and branches where they originally made entrance.

Are Borer Insects common in Fort Worth?

Unfortunately, there are a number of borer insects that are prevalent in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Clearwing moths and flathead beetles target fruit trees, shrubs and shade tree varieties. Large black and cream cottonwood beetles prefer cottonwood trees but also will invade poplar and willow. The lethal green emerald ash borer has destroyed over 200 million ash trees in the United States and will destroy yours if their infestation progresses. Tree doctors and certified arborists are regularly encountering this dreaded pests and administering treatment to eliminate them.

How can I protect my tree from Borer Insects?

Ensuring your trees remain in the best of health is the proactive way to guard against borer insects. Important treatments such as deep root fertilization increase your tree’s disease and insect resistance. Proper watering methods like soil drenching aid in benefitting the tree’s health. Guard the tree from avoidable wounding due to lawn care tools or aggressive activities within the tree’s vicinity. Trees can become stressed and weak from severe weather conditions or compacted soil, so always enlist the professional expertise of a tree care specialist who will provide you with the advice and means to make certain that your tree’s resistance is heightened.

What can be done to eliminate Borer Insects?

Regular pruning by a tree trimming service with sanitized tools eliminates borer eggs in bark crevices. Severely infested or dead trees, dead branches and ground debris must be removed and destroyed by an experienced tree company. If infestation is in the early stages of advancement then insecticide treatments such as trunk injections administered by an arborist who treats sick trees are frequently successful. Borer insects reproduce rapidly and are severely destructive; therefore, contact an arbor care professional when you first observe insects near your tree or sense that its vitality is lessening.