Whether you ’re a skipper gardener or a botanic layman , it ’s easy to see that a dogwood tree is very attractive . unluckily , a embarrassment of pests can also discover that sameCornusto be quite sympathetic .
We link up to vendors to help you find relevant product . If you grease one’s palms from one of our links , we may earn a commission .
A person may snap a photo or just take in the view , but pests tend to show their perceptiveness in more … malevolentways .
Photo by Thomas Shahan, Wikimedia Commons, viaCC BY-SA.
From covering the open of the tree to consuming its tissues in a flash , a cuss will take advantage of a dogwood tree ’s vulnerability and result the tree attend damaged or sick .
“ But how do I prevent this ? ” “ How can I deal with an plague - in - progress ? ” “ Is all hope for my dogwood tree lost ? ”
The how s of pest prevention and direction are covered in this scout . As for the hope ?
Photo by Thomas Shahan, Wikimedia Commons, viaCC BY-SA.
After absorbing the info provided here , you ’ll be well - equipped to give your dogwood a scrap chance , I can promise you that .
Here are those galling foe that you ’ll get word about up forwards :
7 Common Dogwood Pests
Before we start , it ’s crucial to retell that a tidy dogwood is more resilient against plague than an unhealthy one .
Therefore , you should endeavour to cultivate andcare for your dogwoodsas healthfully as possible . For a shorten risk of infestation , try your darndest to give a dogwood tree exactly what it requires for optimal health .
An added plus of preventing pestilence ? They ca n’t transmitter disease that could harm your dogwood . Talk about a two - for - one !
1. Dogwood Borers
When we blab about dogwood borers , we ’re advert to the larval cast ofSynanthedon scitula .
enter the tree through wounds or other bark openings , the larvae leave sawdust - esque frass in their wake as they feed on the inner bark and cambium .
This feeding can leave the tree in horrendous pass : leaves can redden and prematurely drop , barque near the borers ’ entry points sheds off , and branches often die as the cambium is destroyed .
Young tree diagram can expire within a time of year or two , while more mature trees can live on , albeit with rough knot and reduced vigor .
These larvae are a bit over half an inch long , with a reddish - chocolate-brown read/write head and a whitish to ointment - discolor body .
The clear - winged , wasp - like grownup moths come in at half an inch in duration , with a yellow - banded and blueish - black organic structure .
Over a several - calendar month menses from springtime to come down , the female adult lay testis on the barque , which sets the stage for the larvae to incubate , move into the tree through its first step , feed , overwinter in their alimentation tunnels , and then feed again before they pupate .
right cultivation and wounding shunning will help forestall infestations of these pests .
For direction of a current plague , prune aside affected branches in previous winter , when the moths are inactive .
you’re able to also insert a cheeseparing wire into the borers ’ feeding tunnels , which will crush them .
For more drastic control , you’re able to spray permethrin on the trunk , antecedent collar , chief branches , and bark wounds . Begin in early May , and reapply every three workweek up to four clock time .
numb trees should be excavated and pitched . Feel free to try again with intercrossed hybridization ofC. floridaandC. kousafrom the Stellar serial , which are extremely resistant to dogwood borers .
2. Dogwood Club Gall Midges
Resseliella clavulais a small , yet significant foe of the dogwood .
The adult fly , about a sixteenth of an in long , set egg within a cornel ’s diminutive terminal foliage in late fountain .
Upon hatching , the orange larvae ware their manner through shoots , and tubular , swollen galls take shape in reply along stems or at shank tips .
Beyond the gall on a shoot , stem tissue paper can die out , while leaves can wilt and warp . With a large midge infestation , a tree can be leave distorted .
direction - wise , your expert bet is to trim away and ruin any infested shoots several inches below the gall .
3. Dogwood Sawflies
Just like with the above - described plague , the peril of aMacremphytus tarsatuslies in its young .
issue in late spring , the slender black adults lay up to a hundred orchis in a individual leaf , inserting them next to the foliage venous blood vessel in rows of modest brown bumps .
The color of the caterpillars that hatch out varies , depending on their developmental level .
First - instar Caterpillar are small and translucent yellow , 2d - instar Caterpillar are coated with a white wax , and concluding - instar caterpillars are a black - spot yellowness .
As you ’ve probably gleaned from Eric Carle ’s “ The Very Hungry Caterpillar , ” larvae such as these will eata lotof foliage tissue , often to the item of significant defoliation .
After they ’ve molted into their final larval stage , the caterpillar will stop feeding and tunnel into wood for overwintering before they go forth as adult sawfly number spring .
When the Caterpillar are less than an inch long , sprays of insecticidal easy lay or horticultural fossil oil can be effective .
Otherwise , you should adhere with manual removal : either free them by shaking the tree diagram or remove them by helping hand . Upon remotion , drown the plague in fulsome water or crush them beneath your heel .
Monterey Horticultural Oil
For a horticultural oil dressed ore that ’s approved for organic gardening , Monterey sells some in quart- and gallon - sized bottlesvia Arbico Organics .
4. Dogwood Twig Borers
Also have it off asOberea tripunctata , the dogwood twig borer does n’t solely attack species ofCornus – willow , viburnum , andazaleaare but a few of its other targets .
A bit over half an inch in length , adult twig borers are close , cylindric , brown - orangeness beetles with long , benighted antennae and dark brown to black head .
The visibly segment larva measure up to an in long , with a browned head and sick yellow consistence .
In late spring , the adults chew twinned lines of holes around the tips of new - grow stems , and lie in an elongate ballock in between the girdled ring .
Upon incubate , the larvae bore their elbow room further into the stem , leaving a serial publication of hole running down the stem ’s side as they feed .
This feeding wilts and defeat the foliage above the tunneling , and the theme can even fall apart off at breaker point where the larvae cincture the root from the inside .
Come spring , after winter in the dig - out stems , the larvae either continue to feed for another yr or pupate into the grownup level . By tardy spring , the adult come forth , and the cycle bear on .
Sprays of a pyrethroid insecticide in late natural spring can forestall these pests from laying eggs , while stems that have been tunneled into should be pruned in early summertime when you notice the resultant leaf wilt .
Make your pruning cuts below the larva ’s current localisation within the twig , and burn your clip twigs to forestall a branchlet borer comeback .
5. Flatheaded Appletree Borers
Upon first image whatChrysobothris femoratalooks like , I was reminded of the infamous chestbursters from the “ Alien ” franchise .
With a tannish - white-hot , segmented body and a relatively wide thorax below its black head , this pest can burrow its way through a dogwood ’s tissue like a Xenomorph larva through Executive Officer Kane .
After the helianthus seed - esque adult beetles lay their nut in the tree ’s bark throughout the summer , the larvae emerge from the eggs and eat their way through the barque and cambium , creating galleries that girdle the tree diagram and interrupt vascular tissue .
Infestation symptoms manifest as foliar wilt disease and necrosis , leg dieback , and darken bark that secretes a filthy white liquid .
Additionally , the feeding tunnel within the tree can become sunken and unmistakable , andthe bark above can give-up the ghost and fall off .
Small new trees can easy die from an plague of these pests , the wellness and appearance of more ripe tree can take a hitting , and smite specimen can be left especially vulnerable to pathogen .
These pesterer are particularly doting of unhealthy trees , so it ’s extra crucial to civilize your dogwoods properly and protect them from injury .
Be sure to prune beat and damaged branch , which are potential incoming points for the pest .
Wrapping dogwood torso with a protective cover from March to September can discourage ball - egg laying .
Many materials work , such as mosquito netting , ok - meshing hardware cloth , and even superimposed newspaper !
Upon noticing the adult beetles , spraying the trunk and major branch with a pyrethroid insect powder can be helpful .
This will control the adults but not the burrowing larva , so it pay to affect tight .
For heavily - infested tree , a straightaway removal and burning at the stake is in guild . It may be tragical , but at least any of the infesting pests will be killed as well .
6. Vertebrates
A flora that draw wildlife into your garden is n’t always a bad affair , as a universe of various mintage can indicate a level-headed ecosystem .
However , if said wildlife Edvard Munch on foliage , or consumes fruit that you yourself intend to reap , then that ’s when you should consider taking activity .
A variety of critter can feast on dogwoods .
Foxes , mice , shutout , chipmunks , black bears , songster , Republic of Turkey , beaver , cervid , andrabbitsconsume the fruits , while the latter three also browse the leaves and immature sprout .
While managing creepy-crawly - crawly pests is ordinarily a insensate - full-blood and homicidal drill , it ’s of import to attempt to keep in line most higher forms of lifespan with a bit of empathy , via nonlethal method .
Treating your backyard like it ’s open time of year can land you in sound trouble if you harm any protected specie , not to mention turn your tummy .
bird are best handle via panic attack tactics that are cycled through each week , so they do n’t mature fresh to your tricks .
Reflective surface , balloon with eye drawn on them , scarecrows , galosh snakes , and bastard skirt of prey – visually , you have great deal of options .
Sound - wise , garish noises are the Florida key , whether it ’s with wind chimes , banging pots and pans together , or even something higher - tech like a interference machine .
You ’ll need some forcible handicap for the non - fliers , though .
modest mammals like squirrels , beaver , and fox typically ask tribute via a per - planting margin of radical - fine crybaby wire or flimsy hardware cloth , bury a couple inches below the surface to deter tunneling .
Larger mammal such as cervid and black bear need larger , potentially electrify fencing around your entire property .
For any of the aforementioned critters , you’re able to always supplement piecemeal with some specie - specific repellent , depending on which particular unity harry your dogwood .
7. Scale Insects
A variety of scale insects can overrun your cornel , such as armoured oystershell scale and brown soft scale of measurement . Scale vary in color , and are small , ellipse - shape pests with no seeable legs .
subdued scale possess a stocky , waxy coating , measure an eighth- to a quartern - inch long .
With a smooth , cottony , or waxy coating , these pests excrete honeydew : a damaging , ugly , and ant - attracting substrate forsooty mold .
Armored scale species are smaller , coming in at less than an eighth of an inch long . Flaunting their hallmark hardened plate , these pests miss the honeydew excretory product of their lenient relatives , gratefully .
With populations that can speedily spring up after a distich seasons , scale dirt ball provender on the sap that they excerpt with their pierce - sucking mouthparts .
Infested dogwoods can hurt with greensick and untimely - dropped leafage , to a great extent - overrun shoot can go , and the entire tree ’s growth pace can significantly slow .
If small , isolated dowry of the tree diagram ’s structure are obtusely packed with these pests , prune them away . Additionally , you’re able to clip within the canopy to increase the incursion of hot sunlight .
Physically , you could spray the tree diagram with strong flare-up of water , or manually scrape away small pest infestations with a butter knife .
Thorough springtime applications of horticultural or neem oil , both before bud break and after flowering , can pop adults and eggs alike .
Parasitic wasps and ladybeetle are effective predatorsof scale , and bring store - bought reinforcements to the already - present ones in your landscape painting can be a smart move .
But not always , as premise non - native metal money – ladybugs in finicky – can be harmful .
determine more about plate insects and how to deal with them in our guidebook .
Dog-Tired of Dogwood Pests?
Then you ’ve got a true protagonist in this pathfinder . find detached to refer back to it whenever you wish to refresh your dogwood pest combat attainment !
But just as black swath perfect their abilities beyond the point of subordination , you must do so with your pest ascendency management .
One wonderful panorama of gardening is that you ’ll never bang it all , so the educational journey is sure to never end !
desire tolearn more about dogwoods ? We ’ve got you covered :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . Product pic via Arbico Organics . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
About
Joe Butler
