Insect & Disease Control

Protect Your Trees from Harmful Bugs and Diseases

Common Tree Diseases

Disease can strike any tree in Northeast Ohio, no matter how healthy it appears to the untrained eye. Broadly speaking, there are two categories of tree diseases:

  • Infectious Diseases: These are diseases caused by microscopic organisms such as fungi, viruses, or bacteria, and which can be transmitted from tree to tree.
  • Non-Infectious Diseases: These are diseases that are non-transmittable and are not caused by living organisms. Rather, they are caused by environmental stimuli such as poor soil conditions, a lack of nutrients, extreme temperatures, pollutants, excess moisture, or drought.

Unfortunately, tree diseases are often very difficult to diagnosis because most diseases cause similar symptoms (i.e., browning leaves). Because of this, a certified professional arborist is needed to diagnose and control tree disease. These experts have years of experience diagnosing illness in trees and have been extensively educated on tree biology and physiology.

The Insects Who Feed on Your Trees in Northeast Ohio

In Greater Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio, there are hundreds of insect species that can cause damage to a tree’s leaves, branches, roots, flowers, or fruit. Insects that are harmful to trees can be divided into three categories according to how they interact with plant material:

  • Chewing insects such as beetles and caterpillars eat plant tissue, including leaves, roots, flowers, and flower buds. Damage caused by chewing insects is obvious; just look for tiny notches chomped out of your tree’s leaves!
  • Sucking insects such as aphids and leafhoppers suck the juice out of a tree’s leaves, branches, flowers, or fruit by puncturing surfaces with their “beak” (called a proboscis). Tree damage caused by sucking insects is subtle, and could include leaf spotting and discoloration, drooping branches, and poor vitality.
  • Boring insects such as bark beetles or weevils form holes in a tree’s bark, either to feed or to lay eggs. Evidence of boring insects is readily apparent, with numerous small holes found across the bark and the presence of sawdust-like “frass,” or excrement. Boring insects can be particularly damaging, and can even prove fatal to trees.

Before you start panicking about damaging tree insects, keep this in mind: not all insects will hurt your trees! In fact, insects are a natural part of the ecosystem, and many play beneficial roles such as pollinating flowers or feeding on their more destructive peers. Instead of spraying an insecticide in your yard by yourself, consider hiring a professional. An arborist will be able to devise an insect management plan that reduces harmful tree bugs while sparing beneficial ones.

Stop Tree Diseases and Invasive Insects in Their Tracks

VanCuren Tree Services is Northeast Ohio’s preferred insect and disease control company. What sets us apart from the crowd? First, we have been treating trees for disease and insect infestations in the Greater Cleveland area for over thirty years. From Lakewood to Solon and everywhere in between, no one knows the threats to Northeast Ohio’s trees better than VanCuren. Second, our certified arborists are committed to using organic or other reduced-risk treatments whenever possible, to safeguard the health of your trees as well as your family and the environment. Finally, VanCuren treats every client with the utmost integrity; we will never pressure you into expensive or environmentally-damaging treatment plans. That is the VanCuren guarantee!

Contact VanCuren today to schedule your free quote. We’ll have your trees back to health in no time!

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What People Are Saying

  • VanCuren Services has been our “go-to” clearing contractor since 2009, tackling both residential and commercial projects across Northeast Ohio.  Most notable project include ODOT Innerbelt Bridge, Cleveland Medical Mart and the NEORSD Superior Stones project.  Dave and his crews are experienced professionals and perform each project with safety as a top priority. I can recommend them with confidence.

    - Vic DiGeronimo, Jr.( Independence Excavating, Inc. Commercial Tree Removal (May 2017) )
  • The precision in which VanCuren took down the dead trees around our home was amazing! The only way we knew VanCuren was there is that the dead trees were gone!

    - Meghan( Gates Mills, Ohio Tree Removal May 2017 )
  • The attention to detail in clearing our property in preparation of building our new home was impeccable!

    - Matt( Gates Mills, Ohio Land Clearing May 2017 )
  • I had a lot of tree trimming done and removals and I barely noticed the crew was at our house. They did their work quickly without interfering and cleaned up very nicely.

    - Lurlie( Independence, Ohio Tree Trimming and removal May 2017 )
  • VanCuren came to my house after I left for work and when I came home, all of tree removals and trimming were completed and the yard perfectly cleaned up. Very professional company.

    - Paul( Bainbridge, Ohio Tree Removal April 2017 )