Sapsucker Damage?

[Diesel5610]

I was running the dog today and walking through one of my tree plots I noticed something on one of my Apple Trees. I have never seen anything like this and I am sick to my stomach. This is on 2 of my trees, which are about 25 years old. Quick search revealed maybe Sapsucker damage? Looked to be flys or something all over the area as well. Figured this was the best place to ask for a quick and accurate diagnosis.

 

[Bill]

Yeah that is a sapsucker and it will be back.

I’m slowly loosing and old apple tree in the yard because of the damage. I have a holly tree in the yard that also got hit but it hasn’t seemed to hurt it. On my trees it’s almost at ground level.

I’ve heard if you wrap the area with burlap it will discourage them from doing more damage. Never tried it so I’m not sure.

 

[Diesel5610]

Bill,
You are obviously correct. I went back this morning to do some mowing on the trator. Little bastard was in the tree working away. I see he has moved to a third tree, I am really sick to my stomach now. These are all about 2/3 way up the tree between 10-12 feet up.

 

[Mozark]

I have an older semi dwarf apple that suffered damage from them years ago. Not knowing what to do for the tree, I coated the damage with pruning sealant. Right or wrong the tree healed without issue. The damage looked pretty bad at the time but not as severe as yours.

 

[chummer]

A lot of my old trees our covered in those holes. It doesn’t seem to bother them, they still produce lots of apples.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Ouch... that is painful to look at Diesel. I have damage to my oldest tree, but it looks more like what Mozark has, not nearly as bad as what you have. My tree healed fine with no help from me. Unfortunately, I can't offer any solutions.... I hope your tree recovers fine.

 

[Telemark]

Neighbour has an apple tree that is about 75% dead because of sapsuckers. He let me graft a rootsucker last year, and I will soon cut the damaged tree down.

I shoot them when I can. Horribly destructive birds.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Neighbour has an apple tree that is about 75% dead because of sapsuckers. He let me graft a rootsucker last year, and I will soon cut the damaged tree down.

I shoot them when I can. Horribly destructive birds.

Shhhh, they are federally protected.

 

[j-bird]

"APPLE TREES LIVES MATTER"....

 

[Telemark]

You can get nuisance animal permits, no?

 

[homerj]

You can get nuisance animal permits, no?

For federally protected songbirds? lol

 

[Telemark]

For federally protected songbirds? lol

I don't think it's difficult. Just a pain in the butt. I've seen farmers in Ontario get permits for 6 birds per day on migratory birds including cranes.

 

[j-bird]

I know lots of places get them for geese...especially during nesting season!

Looked like a sparrow to me!!!

 

[woodduck]

The dirty bastards are working my trees over too

 

[Diesel5610]

The tree originally posted about didn’t make it. The tree next to it was damaged also and somehow seems to be doing OK, it is somehow still alive above the damage. This one is going to get cut and topworked to another variety this spring, only because I have several Liberty and would like to try my hand at bark grafting. The sapsuckers were back last spring but with a little intervention I was able to mitigate the damage to the other trees, this one was already toast. Intersting observation is the 4 trees the sapsuckers have attacked are all Liberty trees. Same preference for Liberty trees on two different mini orchards. I Have Freedom, Enterprise and Goldrush next to these trees in both spots and they have been ignored. Always liked threads that had updates and decided to update this one while sitting in front of the wood stove ad sipping a stout. Just got done with a YouTube binge on cleft and bark grafting. Can’t wait til spring, lol!

 

[Apple Junkie]

First, sorry that tree is not going to make it Diesel. It’s a bitch to lose a tree after investing that much time into growing it. At least you can salvage the root system if your grafting goes as planned (fingers crossed).

I find it fascinating that your sapsuckers have developed a preference of one variety of apple over another. The little stuff that individual members here pick up on never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for keeping us up to date, and thanks for that observation on Liberty trees – I have a few young ones myself that I will keep an eye on.

 

[westonwhitetail]

My father in law wires baited rat traps on his trees where the sapsuckers are making holes haha. He has been on a war to save his trees from sap suckers for years!

 

[BobinCt]

I thought I came across every problem with apple trees, but I guess I have not since I haven’t encountered the sapsuckers on my trees yet. I just read that if you hang like a CD or a small mirror, something reflective from the sun, it will deter them. Does this actually work? I don’t know , but just trying to help out. There was also a chemical that they listed too to help fight them off.

 

[b116757]

I don’t have sapsucker issues but I have one Red Delicious tree that gets cambium minors under the bark and then some wood pecker comes along and takes all the bark off trying to get to the Cambium minors I don’t generally notice it until fall because all the bark is still on until the woodpeckers start taking it off to get the bugs.

 

[Troubles Trees]

You know God had a sense of humor when he created a bird that has to smash his face against a tree to eat.