If you have trees in your yard or on your property, and let’s face it a good majority of us do, it’s essential for you to take care of them to help them live long and leafy lives. Trees offer shade during the hottest days of the year, particularly if they shade your home which helps reduce the heat indoors, and it’s important we take care of them. Urban environments are hard on trees and the least we can do is make their lives easier with protection from disease, illness or pests. Pests and insects come in swarms during the summer, so we’re here to tell you about the benefits of tree spraying for insect pest control!
The first thing to remember about insects and how they interact with your trees is that not all insects are necessarily harmful, such as pollinators. There are exceptions to this however because none of us want a hornet’s or wasp’s nest in our backyards, but other helpful insects, such as ladybugs, aren’t going to destroy your trees. In fact, ladybugs will help you out! One of their primary food sources is aphids and those pests can cause major grief for your trees. Aphids consume the tree’s sap through its leaves, roots, new buds, stems or flowers, causing the leaves to curl inwards on themselves, turn yellow and potentially deform before finally falling off. These pests also produce what’s called honeydew, a sticky, glossy excrement that collects on the leaves and at the base of the tree. Aphids can be difficult to deal with as they will form a resistance to insecticides if only one is applied and you’ll want to use an integrated method to deal with these invasive bugs. That’s where we come in.
Tree spraying is an important layer of defence you can offer your tree against pests and if you missed spraying for the spring, that’s okay because you can start right now! We’ll help you make a plan to protect your trees as integrated spraying will be the best way to deal with current or potential pests. If you’re dealing with a current infestation, the first thing we’ll do is help you identify what kind of insect it is and what can be done to begin the process of exterminating them. Our technicians know what to look for and timing can be everything. Spraying at the right time during a pest’s life cycle is necessary to fully get rid of them and we’ll be able to advise you on what that looks like.
Routine inspections of your trees and proper spraying can provide trees with an opportunity to live healthier lives and offer you shade for many years to come. Calgary is a city full of trees and it’s so important we work together to eliminate big problems, like pests that can spread. Common insects that infest trees in the Calgary area are aphids, caterpillars, spruce spider mites, bronze birch borer, ash bark beetles and ash leaf rollers. These pests can be a handful if not properly treated quickly, but we’ll be able to help you with that! Give us a call at 403.262.1666 and we’ll get started on a solution for healthier trees!
