Unfortunately, that’s an all-too-common occurrence for property owners in Bucks County and a number of other regions in Eastern Pennsylvania, where a devilish little pest known as the white pine weevil attacks and subsequently kills the tops of trees each year.

The white pine weevil operates by hibernating in the winter near potential host trees. Come spring, they crawl or fly onto a tree’s top “leader” branch, which is where they start feeding on inner bark tissue. Egg-laying happens soon after the feeding begins. And yet weevil activity is not normally noticed until mid-summer, when the terminal growth of the tree wilts and starts to curve, resembling the crook of a shepherd’s staff. This part of the tree then begins to dry out and turn brown, often falling off later in the season. Depending on the amount of activity, this may be the top two or three inches of the tree.

This can be a wholly preventable problem, and here’s the truly good news: It’s a problem that doesn’t need to involve the spring spraying of multiple pesticide applications, which is unfortunately still a standard treatment for white pine weevil in Pennsylvania.

Pesticide spray treatment isn’t just a potentially harmful solution, though. Where the weevil is concerned, it’s also complicated and time-intensive.

In order for the pesticide to do its job, each subsequent application needs to be sprayed during a very specific phase of the weevil’s lifecycle. And when you consider that the pest is known to attack some 20 different tree species in the eastern part of the country (it’s especially fond of eastern white pines, jack pines and Norway spruce trees), you’ll probably agree that a pesticide-spraying campaign is less than ideal.

We’ve found that a single, well-timed fall soil injection of an insecticide called Imidacloprid can give complete control. With our precise injection equipment, we can get the proper amount of chemical where it needs to be in the soil, so that it’s translocated up to the leader of the tree by the time these weevils begin their spring feeding the next year.

There are a few different reasons we’re so fond of this particular method: It’s less environmentally risky than spraying, because a less active ingredient of the chemical is used overall. It also has a significantly smaller impact on natural enemies of the weevil than spraying does. With our systemic injection method, you will also save money over the cost of multiple spring spray applications.

This is literally the perfect time of year to stop weevil infestations in their tracks before the tops of your Bucks County or Montgomery County trees turn brown.

If you’d like to learn more, contact our team today, and let us know what questions you have. We’re here to help.

A tree that has been treated for Emerald Ash Borer (right) compared to one that has not.

Unfortunately the time has come to make some tough calls about the trees on your property. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has finally arrived in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The pest has been slowly making its way across the state, finally arriving when it was first discovered in an apartment complex in Warrington in 2012. Since then the EAB has been found in other area trees and parks (although it is believed to have not yet crossed the river into New Jersey). While many Ash trees in the Southeastern Pennsylvania may not yet be infected, it is only a matter of time. Unfortunately, Ash trees make up nearly 20 percent of the local tree population in Bucks County.

Originally a pest from Asia, the EAB is believed to have arrived in wood used in shipping crates. The initial site of infestation was in Michigan. This invasive species is widely considered to be one of the most destructive forest pests ever to come to North America. In the end, the total costs to the country, particularly to states and municipalities, could total in the billions.

Protecting Your Ash Trees

If you have Ash trees on your property, it is best to assume that the insect is nearby and likely to strike at any point. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect the trees on your property. The first step is to have a Certified Arborist check the trees and make sure that they are good candidate for preservation. If your trees fit the bill, there are a few different courses of treatment available, including soil applications, bark sprays, and tree injections. The Arborist will make this determination based on the timeframe and current state of each individual tree.

When treating for the EAB, it is best to start preventive treatment as early as possible. Infestations by this pest generally do not show symptoms until the problem has progressed significantly. The EAB larvae destroy the tree by slowly damaging its ability to transport water to the leaves. This can take place over the course of years.

An Ash Tree Guarantee

Peter Benz Landscaping also offers a guarantee for Ash trees treated using the TREE-äge® product. If your Ash tree dies from an EAB infestation while under guarantee, you will be refunded your EAB treatment cost(s) for up to the previous four years.

• We will deliver treatments using research tested products using the most up to date protocols to provide for optimal effectiveness.
• We will visually inspect your protected tree(s) every 1-2 years to examine for evidence of Emerald Ash Borer infestation. This inspection may take place at the time of re- treatment. We are available to look at your tree at any time should you be concerned about its condition.
• This guarantee is fully transferable to a new property owner.

Making the Tough Call

Unfortunately not every tree can be saved or should be preserved. A consultation with your Certified Arborist can help you make the best decision about the trees on your property. The Arborist can also consult with you on a management and removal plan for trees that cannot be preserved. Additionally, they can advise you on what to do with the wood from infected trees, as there are regulations and guidelines in place to prevent the spread of this disease.

Contact Peter Benz Landscaping today to protect the valuable Ash trees on your property.

White pine weevils spend the winter as adults in dropped needles under or near host trees. As days warm up in March or April they will fly or crawl to the leaders of suitable hosts. They begin feeding on the bark of terminal leaders. Mating occurs on the bark of the tree through most of June. A single female may lay 100 or more eggs in pits on the bark of the previous year’s leader. After hatching, grubs tunnel downward under the bark. Adult beetles emerge from late June to early September. After emergence, the beetles fly to other areas.

Between the feeding and the egg laying, the top 18-24″ of the leader is usually killed. Severe infestation may result in the loss of 2-3 years of growth. Glistening drops of resin oozing from holes in the leader are the first signs of attack, caused by adult weevils that are feeding before egg-laying. As the terminal is girdled, the new shoot of the current year’s growth withers and the tip bends over and turns brown. This stage of damage usually becomes noticeable in July. These infested leaders should be pruned at a point below the tunneling grubs, making sure to either burn or secure them in plastic trash bags and remove them from the property. If left on site the weevils may continue to develop in the prunings.

The standard treatment for pine weevil is to spray insecticides such as permethrin, bifenthrin or cyfluthrin at different intervals, but timing of these spray treatments is critical. The first application, to the terminal leader, as well as the lower trunk of the tree, must be done right before the adults begin feeding and laying eggs. A second spray treatment should be done a few of weeks later to protect the terminal leader. Other applications to the leader during midsummer are often necessary to manage this insect during outbreaks.

As an alternative, a single systemic soil injection of Imidacloprid can be applied in the fall to avoid multiple spray applications throughout the season. This allows adequate time for the chemical to be taken up to the terminal leaders of the tree. This method of control uses less active ingredient of chemical overall and has a lower environmental risk. It also has a reduced impact on natural enemies of the weevil.

This pathogen blocks the flow of water and nutrients to the leaves which causes the scorched leaf effect. Leaves of trees infected with BLS develop normally in the spring but start to show signs of scorching by August or September. This disease causes the margins (outside edges) of the leaves to turn brown. Unlike with Oak Wilt, when trees are infected with Bacterial Leaf Scorch there is often a yellow, or reddish band between the green leaf center and it’s brown margin. Quite often the effected leaves will drop prematurely in the early fall. These symptoms worsen during drought conditions. When a tree first becomes infected with BLS, only a few branches of scorched leaves may be seen. As this disease progresses, it gradually spreads throughout the tree. Smaller branches will die first, and within a few years, larger and larger limbs will die. Bacterial Leaf Scorch, if left untreated, will slowly kill the tree.

Oak or other trees showing signs of BLS should be protected from stress whenever possible, such as watering in times of drought. To save trees infected with Bacterial Leaf Scorch it is important to start treating before the disease has progressed to an advanced stage. This pathogen can never be cured, but if caught in time, and treated annually with systemic Oxytetracyclin injections by a certified applicator, it can be effectively suppressed. If treatment is not begun in the early stages of disease development, Paclobutrazol (PBZ) injections have also been shown to help reduce Bacterial Leaf Scorch. PBZ is a plant growth regulator which inhibits synthesis of the plant hormone gibberellin. This chemical suppresses shoot growth and stimulates root development which helps reduce symptoms of bacterial leaf scorch.

Our native landscape designer, Beverly Auvil shared with us her suggestions on how to attract butterflies to your yard:

Butterflies are attracted to “butterfly bushes” or the Buddleia davidii, so it’s natural that people buy these plants trying to bring more butterflies onto their property. Butterflies are attracted to these plants because they feed on the nectar, but the Buddleia is an exotic invasive plant. Exotic plants are species that evolved in different ecosystems and have few native predators and diseases. According to Michael Dirr, a professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia and expert on landscape trees and shrubs, both Buddleia alternifolia and Buddleia davidii are native to China.

The biggest problem with the Buddleia, or the butterfly bush, is that it is indeed invasive to Bucks County and surrounding areas. Since it is an exotic plant and has fewer predators and diseases, it can out- compete native plants, altering the balance in native habitats. It will produce seeds and the seeds will travel through birds, wind and other animals to additional locations. When an exotic, invasive plant invades our local ecosystem it takes the place of a native plant. When more and more exotic plants replace native plants on our properties and natural areas, our habitats begin to become compromised. This causes our indigenous butterflies and other wildlife to decline in population, or even become extinct.

To truly understand how to attract butterflies to your property, it’s important to also understand the life cycle of butterflies. Here is an example using the Monarch butterfly:

1. A Monarch lays her eggs on a milkweed plant, or the Asclepias
2. A Monarch caterpillar develops from the egg and feeds on the milkweed (also referred to as the larval food or the host plant)
3. The caterpillar then creates a cover for itself, called the pupal case
4. The butterfly emerges from the case when its ready

Once the butterfly is out of the case it feeds on nectar from flowers. Although they are able to get nectar from a variety of flowers they need milkweed to lay their eggs on because it is the only thing the caterpillar can feed on. If you don’t have milkweed, you won’t have any Monarchs.

Here are some alternative plants to the butterfly bush that you could plant on your property to attract butterflies:

Want to add some of these butterfly-attracting plants to your property? Contact Peter Benz Landscaping and we can provide an on-site consultation and create a landscape design accordingly.

What are the symptoms of an infected tree?

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive pest that attacks ash trees. If you have an infected ash tree on your property you may notice dead branches, thinning of the upper part of the tree and splitting bark. As of 2012, a total of 32 counties in Pennsylvania, including Bucks County, were infested with the EAB and the rest of the state was named a quarantine zone.

The Woolly Adelgid is a tiny insect that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It feeds on hemlock twigs at the bases of the needles. The earliest symptom you will notice is the presence of white, cottony masses on the twigs and at the bases of the needles. Although it goes dormant in the summer, treating your hemlocks with an ArborJet tree injection in any season will prevent further tree damage from these pests. Later symptoms include thinning and dying limbs beginning at the base of the tree and moving up.

Oak Wilt is a deadly fungus that disables the water-transporting system in red, white and other oak tree species. After being infected, you will notice the leaves turning brown and falling off and noticeable splitting bark caused by fungal spore mats. If left untreated red oaks can die within 4 to 6 weeks.

How do ArborJet tree injections work?

Arborjet uses the latest technology to safely deliver treatment into tree trunks through a drill-plug-inject method that seals the pesticide solution into the tree. The pesticide is delivered directly into the tree’s transport tissue to guarantee that it reaches its target area. Since the application can be done very quickly and the pesticide is injected directly into the tree, there is no impact to your property, your family and the surrounding environment.

Keeping the trees on your property healthy can be very beneficial. Trees can increase property value, keep the air clean, reduce energy costs, curb storm water runoff, and seize carbon. They are also beautiful to look at and to enjoy when they are healthy and full.

If you think any of your trees have one or more of the symptoms above, contact Peter Benz Landscaping for a property consultation. We will assess any infected trees and create a customized treatment plan with one of our ArborJet tree injections.

So far it seems as though most commercial boxwoods, especially English and American, are highly susceptible to the disease, as is pachysandra, which is in the boxwood family. This disease doesn’t normally kill the host but causes significant defoliation and branch die-back. If boxwood blight is present your initial indication will be dark or light brown spots on leaves. The leaves will then turn brown or straw color and fall off. The stems of the boxwood will also develop black or dark brown lesions.

At Peter Benz Landscaping, we highly recommend that any new boxwood brought onto a property is quarantined for a least one month after leaving the nursery. Many nurseries are spraying boxwoods with preventive fungicides that can temporarily mask the symptoms of the disease. After 2 to 3 weeks the fungicides will wear off and the disease may cause a rapid decline in affected plants.

The boxwood blight spores spread through wind, rain splash, and overhead watering. It can also jump from property to property on contaminated tools, such as pruning shears. We recommend that any tools used on boxwoods be sterilized with alcohol or a 20 percent bleach solution. Any clippings should also be burned or buried instead of taken to a dumping facility or composted. Boxwood blight can survive for five years in fallen boxwood leaves.

As of right now there is no cure for this fungal disease, although research is ongoing. Fungicides can help prevent the spread of boxwood blight, but to be effective they must be applied frequently and to the entire plant including, leaves and stems. If you noticed an infected plant you should remove the whole plant and place it into a plastic bag. Contact Peter Benz Landscaping so we can inspect any boxwoods on your property that may be contaminated and treat if necessary.