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OUR GUIDE TO BENEFICIAL BUGS & HARMFUL PESTS
When you see lots of insects on your trees, your first reaction may be to want to eradicate them, but sometimes this isn’t necessary. There are many beneficial bugs and many harmful pests that can be living on or near your trees. To help you determine which bugs should stay and which pests should go, your we've created this helpful guide.
Once you determine what type of bugs you have on your trees, you may still need our tree services in Edmonton. If that’s the case, contact All Season Tree Service and we can help you determine if you need pruning, shaping or tree removal.
BENEFICIAL BUGS
DRAGONFLIES
Benefits: Eat other insects like mosquitoes
How to identify: Long and thin bodies, large heads and eyes, two sets of net-like wings and bright colours
EARTHWORMS
Benefits: Breakdown organic matter into soil, which promotes natural fertility and aeration
How to identify: Long, slimy body that is tan in colour and doesn’t appear to have a head
FLOWER FLY LARVAE
Benefits: Prey on aphids
How to identify: Adult flies are brightly coloured with body stripes
GREEN LACEWINGS (APHID-LIONS)
Benefits: Consume aphids and other garden pests
How to identify: Green colour, net-like wings and clumsy flight
GROUND BEETLES
Benefits: Feed on other insects such as caterpillars
How to identify: Often have two or three segments on their bodies, six legs and are dark in colour
HARMFUL PESTS
APHIDS
Disadvantage: Feed on plant sap and excrete “honeydew” which allows fungus to grow and creates black scum that sticks to cars, patio furniture and more. Losing sap also weakens the plant.
How to Identify: Small pear-shaped insects; generally green but can also be yellow, grey, black, brown or pink
Signs of damage: Yellow or light red spotting or curling leaves
How to deal: Wash away aphids with water, trap aphids with sticky yellow cards hung around plants and encourage beneficial insects like ladybugs.
LEAF BEETLES
Disadvantage: The larvae of leaf beetles feed on the leaves of trees causing defoliation damage
How to Identify: Larvae are wormlike with dull yellow and black stripes
Signs of damage: Leaves with holes or missing altogether
How to deal: Conventional pesticides are very effective and should be used as soon as eggs hatch while the larvae are still small
SAWFLY LARVAE
Disadvantage: Larvae chew holes in leaves or consume entire leaves leading to defoliation of trees
How to Identify: Sawflies come in various types, but generally the larvae are greenish caterpillars with short fleshy spines.
Signs of damage: Holes in leaves or trees without any needles
How to deal: Early detection will allow for easier control and reduced damage to your trees. Remove larvae with forceful water sprays, use insecticidal soap for low populations or use conventional insecticides.
WEEVILS
Disadvantage: Larvae feed under the bark of the tree and feed punctures from adult weevils can cause damage
How to Identify: Adults are small, green beetles with beak-like projections on their heads while larvae are small, whitish and legless.
Signs of damage: Dropping, wilted appearance of leaves; small punctures covered in black fecal caps near the top
How to deal: Mechanical control such as pruning and destruction of infested branches will help get rid of weevils as long as they are still larvae.
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