![]() These birds are migratory, so we have them swing by in the spring and again in the fall. It is thought that the sapsucker's saliva may contain an anticoagulant substance. Sap is vitally important to trees, and they have developed defense mechanisms to stop sap flow when wounded. Researchers do not know how these birds get tree sap to flow so copiously. Often confused with wood borer damage, the holes fill with sap, and the bird uses its brush-like tongue to draw out the sap. These holes are often arranged so perfectly that you might think the bird used a ruler. This bird can cause damage to many species of trees including oak, sweetgum, maple and elm, by drilling 1/4-inch holes through tree trunks and limbs in vertical and horizontal rows. It is most likely the yellow-bellied sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus varius). What would cause a horizontal line of holes about the diameter of a lead pencil throughout the trunk of my 10-year-old maple tree? They also clip off the ends of branches to eat the seeds but it is a little late for that. If the leaf drop includes small branches, I would suspect squirrels harvesting leaves for nesting materials. Go to: and type in ST-41 to get to the red maple fact sheet.Īnother culprit this time of year is squirrels. The University of Florida has a publication, ST-41, that you may want to look at concerning the leaf drop problem. However, if infestations are particularly heavy, treating the soil under the tree with a granular insecticide during the fall may decrease damage the following year. ![]() These insects rarely cause significant damage. The larvae remain in the leaf when it falls and burrows into the ground and remains dormant until the following year. Both insects burrow into the leaf petiole in the spring, causing the leaves to fall. There could be several reasons for leaf drop, but the most likely cause may be the leaf stalk borer or petiole borer. You said the leaves were still green when they fall, but the stems looked darkened. Why is my maple tree losing lots of leaves now? ![]()
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