galls on bald cypress

[theXman]

I've noticed on bald cypress here in the Maryland area, the needles of most trees will be effected by a little gall. Smooth green, mostly round little gall.

I used to just pull them off when my tree was little, now I just ignor it.

Anyway, a customer of mine has one, and his wife HATES the look of the little galls. He likes the tree and wants to keep it, so if he can get the galls controled, he can keep it.

What treatment can be used to stop these? I imagine spraying something at the time the needles are emerging?
Any systemics work?

Thanks,

 

[guymayor]

are you sure it is a gall? my baldcypress got round things on the needles and it was scale. They were really heavy one season, then vanished the next.

 

[theXman]

yes, definitely a gall. Green at first, then maybe white to blue, later brown.

Looking into it, it should be from a twig gall midge.

Read that the flies emerge mid-May.

All the reading that I found says: although aesthetically unpleasing, the galls do not affect tree health.

So I'm not finding any help on when and what to treat with.

Well, in this case, they just might kill the tree, in that the owners might cut it down due to the ugly galls.

Anyone ever have experience stopping these things?

Here's a photo:

 

[120770]

http://www.mortonarboretumphc.org/05index.htm


Scroll down the page and click the 11 by the Bald Cypress galls.

Hopefully I can attach the PDF also and scoll down that page also.

 

[PPA]

Check an imidicloprid label for midges.