Cures for Trees With Termites

Signs of Infestation

• Termites are sometimes confused with ants. However, termites are differentiated by their uniform waists, straight antennae and equal sized wings. Pest infestation is indicated by the flight of winged insects during fall or spring. There are visible tunnels in bark, with blistered, dark patches. Affected sites grow thin and can be easily punctured with a knife.

Cultural Management

• Poorly managed trees that are in declining in health are more prone to termite infestation. Termites are secondary pests of live plants. The book "Pests of Landscape Trees and Shrubs" recommends avoiding infestation by keeping trees in good health with adequate fertilizer, irrigation and soil conditions. When applying mulch, pull the material a few inches away from the tree trunk. Unlike pathogens that cause tree infections, termites do not attack the live sapwood or cambial tissue of trees.

Avoiding Damage

• Trees that are damaged unnecessarily are highly susceptible to pests like termites. This damage frequently results from careless pruning cuts that fail to heal properly, mechanical damage to trunk from lawn mowers or other tree wounds. The pests enter the tree from these sites and then chew tunnels to the inner sections of the tree. As the pests tunnel deeper into the tree, they are harder to control and damage gets persistently worse over time.

Pesticides

• Given the fact that termites are rarely found near the outer tree surfaces, spraying tree with insecticide is not effective. Additionally, there is little research supporting the efficacy of drilling the tree or the use of injections to introduce insecticides in the inner portions of the tree, cite Steve H. Dreistadt and Jack Kelly Clark in "Pests of Landscape Trees and Shrubs".