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Ambrosia beetles-Dogwoods
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Date Posted: Tue, Oct 05 - 4:24 pm
- Ambrosia beetles-dogwoods
- Hello again, I have a few questions about your trees. I'm wondering how they were diagnosed. Did you see the frass tubes (kind of looks like tooth picks) on the trunk? Was there blue staining in the sapwood when they were removed? You may also have seen 'sawdust' at the base from the process of tunneling in the entry holes. Those would be definite indicators of the beetle. Generally, they attack trees under stress, such as drought or lack of appropriate amounts of scheduled watering. The pests may have been in the trees when you purchased them from the nursery. If so, the guarantee from the nursery may cover your loss. Assuming the reason your trees failed was due to ambrosia beetle and not another pest or disease, the arborist I consulted said that planting in the same location would be fine. I don't believe they have created any trees to be resistant to the ambrosia beetle. That being said, I think the chief thing is to provide the best cultural environment for the trees to survive. Well-draining soil is key along with proper placement and watering until the trees are established. Without knowing the exact environment you are planting in it would be difficult to recommend a particular tree. Look online for a list of native trees for this area and then consider the location you have and whether or not that tree would be a good fit. Consider the amount of light, moisture, available space for mature height, etc. Sorry those dogwoods didn't make it. Best of luck with your next choice.
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Holes in lawn
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 10 - 5:17 pm
- I have a large hole, about 4-5 inches across, in the front yard. My neighbor said she thinks she saw a chipmunk go down it. It is very deep. How can I take care of this? Fill it up with dirt? Put a hose down there? Not sure but I don't want animals tunneling under the lawn.
- Hello there, I haven't had a lot experience with this problem but I'll give it a try. It seems that if chipmunks were the problem the hole would be smaller 1-2 inches rather than 4-5. The larger hole would indicate possible ground hogs, raccoons or skunks. Have you noticed the tell-tale odor of skunk?? If not, then perhaps ground hogs or raccoons are giving you this problem. A description of the hole will help you determine which animal is causing the damage. Refer to the internet for images of holes made by each creature. It seems the safest way to deal with unwanted visitors is using a motion-activated light to scare them away. They are active at night looking for grubs, earthworms and other insects. Inexpensive solar-powered lights can be used assuming you have enough sunlight to collect in the place you need to attach the light. Additionally, using predator urine products placed around the outside of the hole can work to keep the pests away. Coyote or dog urine products should work. If you have raccoons or skunks that simply will not leave, you should contact a professional that knows how to handle potentially rabid animals. Best of luck!