Tree Treatments and Pest Prevention
Everyone loves sitting in the shade of their trees during the summer, escaping the glare of the sun beating down on you and sipping some lemonade, waiting for the evening breezes to cool the town. That is, until a bug is spotted munching on your leaves or crawling on your trunk, leaving you to wonder exactly how many more there are and how much damage they might be doing to your hard-earned relaxation!
In order to combat pests, it’s best if you take preventative measures first. Often, by the time you notice something is wrong, the tree may be heavily damaged and could die within a year or two. The best way to prevent this is to consult with your local professionals at CVL Complete Tree Service, and you can get an idea of what sort of pests might be endemic to your area, as well as what treatments are available to stop their steady spread across the yard.
To best combat defoliating and chewing bugs, many folks use what’s known as a systemic insecticide. This is a bit different than a regular spray on insecticide, which may not kill all the offending pests due to poor coverage, lack of effect on certain larval stages, or just a second infestation once the insecticide is no longer effective. Instead, a systemic insecticide is taken into the tree through a feeding schedule, and distributes throughout the tree from the roots to the shoots, ensuring that bugs anywhere on it are affected.
Systemic insecticides are best applied by professionals, as the plant needs repeated treatments during periods of new growth or heavy infestation. Consult with your local tree service company to see which brands and types might be best used on your particular canopy.
Another way to prevent bugs is to use the environment itself against them. Create physical barriers to bugs entering your emerald getaway by using what are known as mechanical insecticides. This might include diatomaceous earth around sensitive ornamentals, which will dry out and kill a bug or pest, or pest strips, which will capture and hold a pest until it’s death. Commonly, you’ll see people do pest and weed prevention by laying down landscape cloth and beauty bark as a way to keep down the weeds and grass that so many pests like to inhabit.
Last but definitely not least is the idea of companion planting, which has its roots in ancient farming and gardening methods from all over the world. The general idea is to plant bug deterring and attracting plants around your garden and trees in order to either drive them away from an area or lure them toward another. Generally, folks have used companion planting in their garden in order to promote soil health, such as planting corn and beans together or blueberries and rhododendrons near each other. The same idea can be used to deter bugs of different types. Chamomile, chrysanthemums, lemongrass, lavender, marigolds, and several others have been shown to repel insects with great results for the garden as well.
To make sure you are satisfied with the results of your planting and efforts, call CVL Complete Tree services and get a consultation on pest control and prevention.