Yellow-bellied SapSuckers

[TreeHugger40]

A tree farm client has sapsuckers attacking the zelkovas. I’ve used burlap in the past for a couple residential trees but that method won’t work for this situation l. Does anyone have an alternate solution for this type of situation?

 

[ATH]

Stop worrying about it. They don't hurt the tree.

 

[TreeHugger40]

Stop worrying about it. They don't hurt the tree.

I wouldn’t worry about it but from a sales standpoint, people don’t like to buy damaged trees

 

[Stumpsprouts]

I wouldn’t worry about it but from a sales standpoint, people don’t like to buy damaged trees

Why won’t burlap work in this case?

People still like zelkovas? Carpinus is such a better option for a similar size and habit (assuming you’re posting from Mt Airy NC)

 

[Matias]

Bird netting over the entire area. That is my plan to keep birds from eating my fruit, and I have seen it done at commercial scale.

 

[Matias]

Why won’t burlap work in this case?

People still like zelkovas? Carpinus is such a better option for a similar size and habit (assuming you’re posting from Mt Airy NC)

I was not familiar, but those look like a nice substitute.

 

[TreeHugger40]

Burlap would work. I would looking for a different option(s). There are about 65 zelkovas on this farm

 

[southsoundtree]

Idk about the yellow-bellied sapsucker, but our local sapsuckers seem to do limited/ manageable damage most of the time, but sometimes (rarely) end up girdling mature maple tree tops enough to kill them or weaken them enough to break in storms.

 

[evo]

Motion sensor sprinklers?
I recall some cafe in new York had a bird problem with outdoor seating. They set up some kind of misting system to help keep the birds from nesting in the trees.

 

[moss]

It's interesting, sapsuckers often target specific individual trees. For example, there might be a stand of red maples and they're working on only 2 or 3 trees out of 20. That's year-in-year out, same individual trees. It's unknown why they return again and again to the same tree and ignore a same species tree next to it.

My question for your tree nursery owner is are sapsuckers drilling all or just a few of the zelkovas? If they are going after most of them it suggests that there is stress or another controllable factor that is attracting them. Might be worth testing some changes in the care regimen (possibly fertilizer, soil amendments etc.) for the zelkovas that might make them less attractive to the sapsuckers. I expect someone has already done that, research might might turn up an answer.
-AJ

 

[Matias]

It's interesting, sapsuckers often target specific individual trees. For example, there might be a stand of red maples and they're working on only 2 or 3 trees out of 20. That's year-in-year out, same individual trees. It's unknown why they return again and again to the same tree and ignore a same species tree next to it.

My question for your tree nursery owner is are sapsuckers drilling all or just a few of the zelkovas? If they are going after most of them it suggests that there is stress or another controllable factor that is attracting them. Might be worth testing some changes in the care regimen (possibly fertilizer, soil amendments etc.) for the zelkovas that might make them less attractive to the sapsuckers. I expect someone has already done that, research might might turn up an answer.
-AJ

I think there is a lot of logic to this notion, and would throw in my lot to double down on this idea.

 

[moss]

I think there is a lot of logic to this notion, and would throw in my lot to double down on this idea.

Ok this confirms what I've suspected:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...ion_of_sap_trees_by_Yellow-bellied_Sapsuckers

Behind a paywall but the abstract tells enough of the story. It says that sapsuckers have preferred species but... within a given species the sapsuckers prefer individual trees and that when researchers look at tree health indicators, the less healthy trees are being targeted. It doesn't mean they won't do "test holes" on healthier trees but it looks like there indicators that sapsuckers can detect that tell them "Yes, this is a good one", and less healthy than surrounding trees.

Quote from the abstract:
"Sapsuckers did not select trees for sap extraction based on location relative to nesting sites or on microclimate conditions of water availability and tree density. Individual trees used for sap extraction did not have thinner bark, more moisture in bark samples, or larger crowns, but they did score lower in an index of overall tree health."

-AJ

 

[moss]

And lastly, it's worth noting that sapsuckers require sap to continue running whether conifer or broadleaf. A big part of their diet are insects attracted to the running sap and becoming stuck. It's a sapsucker-made feeding station they can return to and continue finding insect food. They have specific requirements for how the tree responds to wounding, apparently a less healthy tree per species can meet this requirement.
-AJ

 

[evo]

It's interesting, sapsuckers often target specific individual trees. For example, there might be a stand of red maples and they're working on only 2 or 3 trees out of 20. That's year-in-year out, same individual trees. It's unknown why they return again and again to the same tree and ignore a same species tree next to it.

My question for your tree nursery owner is are sapsuckers drilling all or just a few of the zelkovas? If they are going after most of them it suggests that there is stress or another controllable factor that is attracting them. Might be worth testing some changes in the care regimen (possibly fertilizer, soil amendments etc.) for the zelkovas that might make them less attractive to the sapsuckers. I expect someone has already done that, research might might turn up an answer.
-AJ

Just adding my observations.. not only do they have favorite trees they will frequently have favored areas.
Also on white birches I see they tend to favor areas blow larger limbs.

 

[Stumpsprouts]

Just adding my observations.. not only do they have favorite trees they will frequently have favored areas.
Also on white birches I see they tend to favor areas blow larger limbs.

Yesterday I did an assessment on a property where the homeowner had done some vine removals with a chainsaw, sometimes getting pretty deep into the cambium unfortunately. (I was balancing the message of avoiding doing that without telling him he’s a bozo). But there were lots of sapsucker holes inside his cuts which I had never seen before. It was on a White oak which I rarely see impacted by sapsuckers.

 

[evo]

Yesterday I did an assessment on a property where the homeowner had done some vine removals with a chainsaw, sometimes getting pretty deep into the cambium unfortunately. (I was balancing the message of avoiding doing that without telling him he’s a bozo). But there were lots of sapsucker holes inside his cuts which I had never seen before. It was on a White oak which I rarely see impacted by sapsuckers.

Cover from predators?

 

[moss]

Interesting @Stumpsprouts Have never seen sapsucker holes on white oaks either. I’m thinking that the thick/layered bark does not make a good site for a dripping sap “feeding station”. I see their holes primarily on smooth barked species (like zelkovas) Or with rougher bark species on young trees or on higher trunk and limbs (pitch pine for example) where the bark is smoother for the species.

A long way of saying that the saw cuts in the oak trunk may be exposing the inner cambium in a way that promotes easier access to the xylem and phloem/sap. Cool observation.
-AJ

 

[moss]

This is a good overview of sapsucker behavior on trees. They don’t mention conifers though which is odd. As mentioned earlier they hit pitch pine quite a bit and some exotic (to North America) conifers like Nikko Fir.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/lifehistory
-AJ