At Big Timber Tree Service, we believe in catering to the overall health of your yard through proper tree maintenance. Warm weather pests can often cause irreparable damage to trees, resulting in a complete tree removal. Use this helpful guide to learn about the different pests that you can face this spring and how to possibly remedy them.

As much as we may love the early onset of spring, for gardening enthusiasts and farmers, an early spring comes with the premature rush of springtime pests. We’re still a few weeks out from growing season, but the early arrival of warm weather pests can put a damper on our trees and local crops like cranberries and tomatoes.

APHIDS

Signs of an infestation: Curling leaves, honeydew deposits, twig dieback, and sooty mold fungi.

How They Work: Feed on tree leaves and stems of evergreens. Their damage prevents sunlight and nutrient intake.

Treatment: Horticultural soap treatments and oil applications

Commonly called plant lice, Aphids are harmful insect to plants. Their fragile demeanor often tricks many into believing they are harmless, when the exact opposite for plant life is true. Aphids come in a variety of colors, including orange, green, red, and black.

EASTERN TENT CATERPILLAR

Signs of an infestation: Large, silky webs and tree loss.

How they Work: ETCs like to eat tree foliage while leaving webs behind. They are most dangerous to their quick and massive reproduction rates. One web can carry 100 to 300 eggs.

Treatment: You can reduce damage by removing the eggs during winter, clipping larvae, and destroying tents. Chemicals and bacterium are also proven effective.

Eastern Tent Caterpillar are typically one of the first pests to arrive in the spring. They love to feed on a variety of trees, mainly including Black Cherry Trees, Maple, Ash, Birch, and Oak. They are commonly confused with Bagworms, who cause similar damage.

WHITE FLY

Signs of an infestation: Curling leaves, yellow spots, premature leaf drop, black fungus, and sticky substances.

How they Work: Feed on plant sap from new trees.

Treatment: Horticultural oil treatments or yellow sticky traps

White flies are a tiny bodied insect that develop quickly in warm weather. An over abundance of ants is a sure sign that your plants and trees are infested with white flies.