In Northeast Ohio, bugs and pests are no strangers to us. They can cause significant damage to trees, in addition to being a gross and unsightly nuisance. Because the best way to take care of pests is by taking good care of your trees, working with a Gates Mills tree company like Vancuren Tree Service will ensure that they are as healthy as possible to prevent infection and damage from pests.

Pest infections occur when there is a susceptible host, like a damaged or decaying tree and a suitable environment, like moist, hot weather. This can attract disease-causing organisms, like fungi.

The treatment for tree diseases differs, based on the specific disease and state of the tree. It will usually include cultural practices, like changing irrigation or pruning because these diseases can be brought on or aggravated by improper watering or when air cannot move through the branches and leaves well. Also, some diseases can spread quicker when fallen leaves lay under trees and the spores can be released again the next season.

Here is a list of some common pests in Northeast Ohio and signs that they are infecting your trees.

• Needle Cast diseases
  These diseases are caused by different fungi that infect the needles of evergreen trees, like pines, douglas fir, and spruce. They form small structures on needles where thousands of spores reside. Infected needles change colors and eventually fall off.
• Powdery mildew
  This appears as a powdery white substance that has millions of fungal spores. It can infect many different plants.
• Apple scab
  This is a fungus that occurs in apple and crabapple trees. It affects both the leaves and fruit. Signs of apple scab include pale yellow or olive green spots on the upper portion of the leaves and dark spots on the lower portion. This can result in twisted, puckered leaves that fall off.
• Cedar apple rust
  This also occurs to apple and crabapple trees, but it can also affect junipers and red cedars. Symptoms include pale yellow spots on leaves that become orange over time. There may also be small black fungus that forms in these spots and excrete orange fluid.
• Thousand cankers disease
  This is caused by the walnut twig beetle, which burrows into the bark of walnut trees and creates cankers. Over time, repeated attacks and an increasing amount of cankers can disrupt water and nutrients moving through the tree and eventually kill it.
• Anthracnose
  This refers to a group of related fungal leaf and stem diseases. They can affect many different species of deciduous trees. Symptoms include small, dead spots on leaves, premature defoliation, and twig death.

Other pests include the Asian long-horned beetle, emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, gypsy moth, and spotted lanternfly,

By working with a tree service company in Gates Mills like Vancuren Tree Service, you can get advice on how to fix the damage caused by pests, as well as advice on how to prevent them. Pests can be one of the most harmful things to affect your trees so learning how to properly prevent them is critical to the health and beauty of your trees.