Estate Tree Care Services May Protect Ontario’s Hardwoods from ALBs
Although hardwood trees are among the hardiest in the world, there is one arch nemesis that can shake them down to the roots. No, it’s not earth moving equipment or chainsaws. These widely feared foes are just four centimeters long but they’ve been working in mass since at least the 1990s to destroy North America’s trees. Yes, we’re talking about Asian Long-Horned Beetles and they can take out mature trees in as little as a single season. As such, their control must be an integral part of estate tree care throughout Canada.
What Are ALBs?
The wood-boring masters of hardwood destruction are natives of the Korean Peninsula and China. Visually, they’re striking. The species typically features jet-black, slender bodies and long antennae that sport white as well as blue accents. The accents include white bands on the antennae and ladybug-like spots on their backsides. The blue hues tend to be primarily present on their legs. They don’t always look like that though.
They start out as off-white eggs, progressing to the larva and pupa stages before emerging as mature beetles. Incidentally, this is the time of year when the adults generally begin chewing away the surface layers of Canada’s hardwoods before laying their eggs inside of the resulting holes. The eggs are typically very small, a mere seven millimeters in length. So often times the only way untrained eyes know they’re there is the presence of sap, frass and missing sections of bark.
In about two weeks, the larvae emerge and begin eating away at the tree. They eventually pupate in the trees’ inner recesses and chew their way back out once they’ve reached adult status. The adults, by the way, like to nibble on the trees’ tender branches and spring or summer foliage. That’s partially why they are able to decimate an estate’s tree population so rapidly.
Estate tree care used to prevent, address and restore damaged areas varies based on the situation at hand. To learn more about what estate tree care experts are doing in regards to Asian Long-Horned Beetle invasions, you can follow along on Facebook and Instagram, or you can contact us here if you have any questions.
