Detect pest infestation
Due to the small size of the animals, a pest infestation is often only recognized when sustained damage has already occurred. To prevent this, you should regularly examine your trees for one or more of the following signs:
- white threads on needles and twigs
- twisted or otherwise crippled needles and twigs
- needles turning brown
- reinforced falling needles
- Discoloration the bark / peeling bark
- Drill holes in the wood with drill dust on the trunk and floor
- unusual cone-like growths on the branches
also read
- Common lilac pests and what to do about them
- Pests on the pear tree - what you can do about it!
- Common diseases on the conifer
If you find what you are looking for, there is definitely a pest infestation. Now you should act as soon as possible to contain the damage.
These pests are often found on conifers
The pests listed below are particularly common on conifers, often in advance weakened trees are infested - for example, those that are in an unsuitable location or that are due to a lack of nutrients or Are stressed out over fertilization.
Plant lice
Different types of plant lice - including aphids, mealybugs and mealybugs as well as the Spruce tube louse - sit on the underside of the needles or soft shoots and suck the cell sap there away. Infested plant parts are often sticky due to the excretions of the animals, which in turn attracts sooty mildew and ants.
Leaf miners
This is an inconspicuous, small butterfly that prefers to lay its eggs in the bark or bark of conifers. The caterpillars that hatch from it eat their way into the wood and cause numerous small holes in the bark. Trees of life (thuja) are particularly infested.
Spider mites
The coniferous spider mite is easily recognizable by the typical white web that gives it its name. A heavy infestation ultimately leads to browning and then to the needles falling off.
Bark beetle
Bark beetles occur mainly as a result of persistent drought - an extreme stress for conifers, which usually prefer a fresh to moist location. The animals hide very well and are often only noticeable through numerous drill holes or small thickenings at the base of the branch. Adult animals and their larvae feed on both needles and wood.
Tips
In many cases, just as with a disease, only a courageous one helps with a pest infestation Cut back down to healthy wood.