Stand Firm! Tree Banding Against the Cankerworm!

Have us BAND YOUR TREES NOW to prevent damage in the Spring. Cankerworm damage can lead to significant and costly tree problems. Let our team of Certified Arborist and Tree Care Specialists help you today! Fall is the time to band trees in an effort to significantly reduce the amount of female moths from laying their eggs in the canopy. Cankerworms are hatched from these eggs and they can severely defoliate the canopies of our beautiful trees.

On the left is the wingless female moth that ascends the tree in fall and lays her eggs. The tree bands are to catch the female in an effort to prevent her from ever getting into the tree. –borrowed from NCSU

On the right is the Cankerworm. This is what hatches in the Spring and feeds on the leaves of the tree, potentially causing significant tree stress and decline. –borrowed from NCDA&CS

If you want to know about the cost of tree banding in Charlotte, NC? Use a tape measure to determine the circumference of your trees. Wrap the tape all the way around the tree at chest height and round up to the next inch.

Trees 6”-36” circumference: $18
Trees 37”-72” circumference: $35
Trees 73”-120” circumference: $60
Trees 120” in circumference and greater: $60 + $6 for each additional foot of circumference.
**There is a $75 minimum for tree banding**

Tanglefoot Banding Stops Crawling Insects from Climbing Trees

Tanglefoot is a long-lasting, non-drying, sticky compound effective in protecting your trees against climbing insects (gypsy moths, cankerworms, pecan and root weevils, ant, caterpillars, tussock moths, webworms, black vine weevils and climbing cutworms) without pesticides or harmful chemicals. These insects need to reach the tops of your trees in order to feed, mate and deposit eggs. Tanglefoot is great for trees of all shapes and sizes. We apply a Tanglefoot band around the trunks of shade trees, fruit trees, plants or vines. It creates a barrier that effectively entraps and repels destructive climbing insects. The ingredients in Tanglefoot are non-toxic to insects, humans, pets, and the environment. It is listed by the Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI Certified) for use in organic gardening. Tanglefoot banding is very unlikely to be damaged by squirrels, dogs, or weather.

Spring Cankerworm Banding in Charlotte

Spring Cankerworm caterpillars are a huge problem in Charlotte. Repeated defoliation weakens even the most spectacular trees (not only the ones stressed from drought or transplantation), causing them to use their energy to create a new set of leaves, reducing the tree’s defense against disease. A few seasons of defoliation can cause branch die-back and result in the death of the tree.

At the first sign of Cankerworms on your trees, call AAA Tree Experts for a special spray application that doesn’t harm pollinators or beneficial insects. To be very effective, spraying must be done when the trees are fully leaved and the larvae of Cankerworms are only about half grown. For effective suppression of infestation, trees should be treated by an arborist that has the equipment necessary to reach all the limbs of the tree. Fortunately, the spring Cankerworm caterpillars produce only one generation every year, so ongoing spray treatments are not needed.

An open letter to the Cankerworms of Charlotte.
Picture from USDA Forest Service – Ogden Archive, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

To learn more about tree banding in Charlotte, NC, please call us at 704-366-1134 so that we can all “Stand Firm and Band Against the Canker Worm”!

Fall Cankerworm

Cankerworms in North Carolina

Working Together to Save Our Trees

Please Call or SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT on-line with an AAA TREE EXPERTS Arborist to schedule a consultation regarding tree banding in Charlotte, NC. We will do a complete inspection to determine if a course of action is required. A consultation with our arborist is FREE OF CHARGE.

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