Aphids are small insects about the size of a ball point pen tip, they will occasionally be found feeding on new tender growing tips of Japanese maple trees. Wood-boring insects often produce sawdust-like frass (excrement). University of Kentucky College of Agriculture | Girdling Roots: If a tree shows symptoms of poor vigor such as small leaves, death of small limbs, top dieback or leaf scorch, the condition could be due to girdling roots. Always employ cultural controls first, then use less toxic alternative sprays for the control of insect pests and diseases. Note: Pollinating insects, such as honey bees and bumblebees, can be adversely affected by the use of pesticides. Rake up all fallen leaves. Eggs masses are conspicuously white and cottony in appearance. 5Neem oil may cause injury to Japanese maples. The leaves curl up. The mites rapidly reproduce and eat new leaves by forming galls. All recommendations for pesticide use are for South Carolina only and were legal at the time of publication, but the status of registration and use patterns are subject to change by action of state and federal regulatory agencies. It is important to remember that while unsightly, they do not cause permanent injury to a tree. While these Japanese maple pests can attack a tree of any age, they are usually found in young trees. Tar Spot: Tar spot is caused by the fungus Rhytisma acerinum. Galls typically develop in spring at about the time that leaves are expanding. Both narrow- and broadleaf evergreens are vulnerable to insect attack, sometimes just to an unsightly degree, and sometimes to the point of fatality. Scales are unusual insects in appearance. Insects Attacking Trees. If a tree is small, the homeowner can handpick and destroy leaves before exit holes form to allow the release of the pest. The late frost, coupled with what seems like an increase in sucking insects are really stressing out the trees. See Table 1 for specific products. Scales vary in appearance depending on age, sex, and species. Occasionally the leaf margins are yellow or chlorotic. Asian Ambrosia Beetles: Japanese maples are among the more common hosts of the granulate ambrosia beetle (Xylosandrus crassiusculus), with other hosts including styrax, ornamental cherry (especially Yoshino), pecan, peach, plum, dogwood, persimmon, sweetgum, magnolia, fig, Chinese elm, and azalea. Do not apply insecticidal soap, horticultural oil, or neem oil if temperature is greater than 85 ºF., and apply these three insecticides in early morning or evening. T⦠The beetle becomes active in early March (or earlier), and the female beetles bore into trunks or branch wood of thin-barked hardwood trees. When homeowners see these growths on the leaves of their maples, they often become quite concerned. Incorporate organic soil amendments into the soil to improve aeration and drainage of clay soils or to improve the water holding capacity of sandy soils. Heavily infested trees are stunted with small flowers and leaves. Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer. Thrips attack young leaves and juvenile fruit and feed on the citrus tree sap. They may be green, yellowish, pink, gray or black. If spraying is required, always spray late in the evening to reduce the direct impact on pollinating insects. Infected trees may be deformed with crooked and angular branches or witches’ brooms (clusters of shoots growing from one area of a branch). Use pesticides only according to the directions on the label. Copyright © 2020 Clemson UniversityClemson Cooperative Extension | 103 Barre Hall Clemson, SC 29634864-986-4310 | Contact UsHGIC@clemson.edu, Integrated Pest Management (I.P.M.) As a result of their phenomenal ability to reproduce, aphids are very difficult to control with insecticides. Scale: Many scale species-including Pulvinaria acericola, Pulvinaria innumerabilis, and Melanaspis tenebricosa are pests of maples. Tar spots are among the most showy and least damaging foliar diseases. Drench applications are best made in the spring as new plant growth appears. Adults are called rosey maple moths. 4Malathion may cause slight injury to many maple species. Prevention & Treatment: Heavily infested plants should be removed. Common Insects of Japanese maple trees. Armored scales, such as Melanaspis tenebricosa, do not excrete honeydew, as they feed differently than the soft scales. Now, however, the results of a summer's worth of sap feeding by maple aphids is quite apparent as damaged leaves are falling from maple trees and accumulating on the ground below. Galls vary greatly in appearance, from wart-like bumps to spindle-shaped protrusions to felt-like patches on the leaf’s surface. In the spring spores are produced and dispersed to the new leaves of susceptible trees. Sapstreak is a fatal disease; infected trees do not recover. Dead branches on spruce and fir trees may indicate a budworm outbreak. Adult scales are relatively protected from insecticides by their waxy covering. Gypsy Moth: The exotic gypsy moth is one of the "most notorious pests of hardwood trees in the Eastern United States." Avoid the use of spray pesticides (both insecticides and fungicides), as well as soil-applied, systemic insecticides unless absolutely necessary. Citrus Thrips are tiny orange, yellow, or even black insects that can attack trees at any age. At first the infected tissue is light green or yellow. Boring insects bore into the wood of silver maple trees and are typically the larval stage of moths and beetles. Bacterial Leaf Scorch: This disease is caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. Tree borers are a group of insects that lay their eggs on or inside of trees, where the young larvae eat their way through living tissues. The moth was introduced into the United States in 1862. Although infested leaves shrivel and drop early, the pests cause little permanent damage. In small trees with light infestations, scale can be scraped off or infested branches can be removed and destroyed. Roud mites only eat maple leaves that are still developing. These miscreants can be either beetles or clearwing moths, but the end result is the same. The Top Hardwood Tree Killing Insects. Parts of the tree after root removal will aid in recovery dispersed to UK. 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