Pine Bark Beetle Treatment
Saving Trees From Pine Bark Beetles
What is a Pine Bark Beetle?
The Southern Pine Bark Beetle is an insect that attacks pine trees. They are attracted to drought-stressed trees or distressed trees. The Southern Pine Bark Beetle is approximately the size of a grain of rice and bores a hole through the bark and into the Phloem, Cambium, and Xylem layers of the Pine tree. These layers are the vascular layers of the tree (like our veins and arteries).
Although small, the Southern Pine Bark Beetle attacks the tree in large numbers, so that the number of bore holes in the tree is in the hundreds to thousands. Ultimately, the vascular layer of the tree is interrupted to the extent that nutrients are no longer able to make it to the tree's foliage, and the tree dies. This takes as little as 14 days from the time of entry. By the time you notice the infestation, it may have already been 10 days or more.
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What does ArborTrue do?
A small plug, called the Arborplug™, is inserted into a drilled hole in the tree. A needle is inserted through the Arborplug™, and the formulation is injected. Formulations are quickly distributed through the trunk, branches, and leaf tissue.
The Arborplug™ keeps the injected formulation inside the tree, protects it, and stays inside the tree with no adverse reactions. The tree grows right over the Arborplug.
Benefits of this method
No mess left behind. No chemicals are left in the soil or in the air, so it is safe for your children and pets. The results are effective and are backed by proven university trials.
You receive long-term treatment and prevention benefits for about two years! It is also highly safe for use around rivers, lakes, streams, and federal/state land.
What are NOT suitable treatments?
Spraying the trees: Spraying is effective only for parasites that will actually come in contact with the insecticide. Pine bark beetles are deep inside the tree. Spraying kills desirable insects (butterflies, ladybugs, honeybees), washes off in rain, is toxic to fish, and is illegal near waterways.
Deep root injections: These depend on a healthy root system, which is often unavailable in drought-stressed trees or when roots are beneath driveways/structures. Runoff is a significant issue, it requires massive amounts of solution, and it can cause secondary damage to surrounding flower beds.
What does it cost?
One of our ISA Certified Arborists can help you determine if you have pine bark beetles, what species of beetle it is, and how treatable your trees are. They charge a minimal fee for that consultation and can help you understand your options so you are not taken advantage of by unsavory characters in the market.
We advise homeowners to adopt preventive measures instead of merely identifying the causes and effects of the pine bark beetle attack.
Preventative Measures To Take
Prevention is the best cure when it comes to pine bark beetles. There are a few precautionary measures that you can adopt to prevent their entry and infestation. They are:
- Act diligently before the active season for the beetle begins. They infest pine trees during their peak season, which is from March to October.
- Diligently keep an eye out for browning needles or needles turning a rusty red color. When a tree begins to stress, it often will produce more fruit (pine cones). It's a built-in safety mechanism.
- If fine granular or fuzzy-looking sawdust appears at the base of the tree, you must call us immediately! When pitch tubes appear, they look like small crawfish mounds protruding from the bark, no bigger around than your pinky finger, with a hole in the center about the size of a grain of rice. It may be too late to save the tree at this point, so call us immediately.
- Once the bark begins to fall from the tree, it is probably too late, but we have saved them. Your other trees can be protected if you act instantly by calling us.
Pine Bark Beetle Damage Videos
Our Core Service Values
Safety
We take preventive measures to minimize any chance of damage to your property. As seasoned specialists in all types of tree services in Houston, you can rely on us for reliable and long-term solutions and results.
Care
Our experience and knowledge ensure that our processes will deliver the desired results. All services are carried out in a manner that ensures your complete satisfaction with the finished product.
Integrity
You can rest assured that you will get the full value of your money through our professional tree services. Our tree services are priced correctly.
"ArborTrue is your ultimate solution for Pine Bark Beetles. Our proprietary system for tree trunk injection is like no other. The Drill, Plug, Inject method is far more effective than any other method available."
Contact Us Today
Specializing in full-service tree care for more than 20 years, ArborTrue is always the first name that comes to the minds of scores of homeowners across Houston, particularly, Memorial, River Oaks, Tanglewood, The Galleria Area, Friendswood, Huffman, Kingwood, Humble, Atascocita, Summerwood, Eagle Springs, Lake Shore, The Woodlands, Spring, Porter, and Conroe.
Contact us today at (832) 980-8733 for free tree inspection services, including preventive measures to fight pine bark beetle attack, so that our service representatives can serve you to the best of their abilities. You have another option to contact us—you can fill out our online contact form and let us know what you are looking for. We will be right there to assist you with your tree care needs!