Bark dieback on trident maple

Marie1uk

Hi,

I have a trident maple growing in the ground. Recently, I noticed the bark on one side had discoloured so I picked at it and it fell away. Under the bark there were white small worms / grubs (?) approx 3mm in size. I collected one but my crappy digital camera cannot do super close-ups so I can't provide a meaningful photo. Can anyone speculate as to whether it is the grubs that are causing the dieback or if dieback occurred naturally and these things moved in to feed on the dead wood. Also if anyone has any treatment suggestions I'd like to hear them.

Thanks.

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tachigi

Sounds like some kind of borer to me, but reserve the right to change my mind if you ever post a pic....not sure whats available in the UK, but I'm sure if you went down to the local garden center they could set you straight on what to us.

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agraham

I get that kind of thing on ficus sometimes too.I peel all the soft rotting bark away and treat with sevin.It could be borers,but.at least in my case,I think it is a secondary attack on rotting wood from an injury or dieback caused by something else.Once they get in there though..they do tend to spread the damage unless killed.They look like tiny maggots.

andy

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KenDuncan

It could be that there was some dead wood at that spot and some termites moved in.
Ken

Mcspeed

Marie, with the bark off do you see little holes in the tree?

A way to check for borers is to do a simulated rain storm, then look closely the next day for signs of sawdust. If it's there it's probably borers. If it is borers poke into the holes and kill em, then treat with a good insecticide, then seal it in a plastic trash bag for a day to really give them something nasty. Find out soon though, they girdle the cambium layer and can kill the whole tree fairly quickly.

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Marie1uk

No holes that I can see. Sevin appears to be an American product - what is it based on - Pyrethrin? Would a lime sulfur wash in Winter be advisable on this tree?

__________________
Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.

Every morning is the dawn of a new error.

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.