By Treena Parish
AECD Manager
This little guy shown above is currently wreaking havoc on some of our trees here in Big Canoe. This is called an ambrosia beetle and it is infesting and killing many trees in the area.
“There isn’t much you can do for preventative control,” Clark MacAllister of the Dawson County Extension Agency said via email. “The beetles have a big host range, meaning they infest many species of trees. The fungus they bring in on their backs is what clogs up the tree’s vascular system and causes rapid tree decline and death. I tell homeowners that they need to have the trees removed, as well as to make sure the wood is either burned or removed off site from the property. If the wood remains on site, beetles will emerge next spring and infest other trees in the neighborhood.
I know this is a big pest, and it will result in many trees having to be removed all over Big Canoe. Unfortunately, we don’t have good solutions to control the ambrosia beetles at the moment.”
Obviously, burning the trees is not an option for Big Canoe, but removing them from the site is. Once approval is given to remove the trees, please make certain your tree service knows they must be hauled away if they are infested with the beetles.
For authorization for removal, please contact me at 706-268-3394 or tparish@bigcanoepoa.org.
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