Fruit Tree Borers

[Norman Brown]

I have several mature Cherry Trees. They have been dying back and one tree has completely died. They all have small holes with many having sap oozing from them. My local nursery has said it is fruit tree borers and there is nothing I can do, since Severin was removed from the market, but cut back to healthy wood. The problem is that I am seeing bore holes at the trunk and I am starting to see evidence of boring in an apricot and almond tree as well.

Any advice to save the trees?

Norm Brown
Fremont, California

 

[BayouTree]

Do you harvest the fruit? If not, you can spray down the trunk with permethrin for the borers. Spray at the highest concentration on the label and just spray the trunk and limbs, not the foliage. This should keep more borers out of the trunk for approx 60 days, then repeat throughout the summer. It is not as effective at controlling borers already in the tree. You probably need to hire someone to do this. I'm not sure if permethrin is a regulated chem. in California and if you need a license to spray.

I wouldn't prune anything unless you are sure it is dead.

Contact your local arborist and see if they have a spray program.

 

[Gumneck]

If it just a few trees, here's what I would do.

1) Go get a cooler full of ice
2) Go get your favorite beer/wine/or other beverage
3) Get a dental pick like you would use around a car or other sharp object that you can poke around the holes with.
4) Put #2 in #1
5) Take all this stuff out to the trees and start digging around in the holes.

On a serious note, you can kill them physically like that if its just a small number of trees. It dont take too long.

Some copper electrical wire works good too since you can bend it as needed.

I haven't bought Lindane in a while so not sure if its still on the market, but I still have plenty of it. It works good too. Use it after harvest as recommended.
Tom