Does a Small Bug Eating Oaks and Killing Them Sound Like Anything To You?

lxskllr

Treehouser
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Jul 21, 2019
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MD USA
Per the title. A client was on the job with us yesterday, and talking about his tree woes. EAB was one, but he was also talking about oak die off. A tree would dies within one or two years, and there would be fine sawdust around the tree, with little bugs causing it? Not carpenter ants. This guy wasn't particularly knowledgeable, so I didn't question him, but I was curious. Oaks seem to be doing poorly as of late, but I haven't been hearing much around about it. The big problems I read online about are always elsewhere.
 
In our area the loss of oaks is BLS - bacterial leaf scorch caused by xylella fastidiosa, carried from tree to tree by insects.
Secondary to the death of major sections and/or the whole tree adventitious insects move in and can cause the fine sawdust you’re seeing perhaps?
 
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That sounds plausible. He didn't show me any examples. I'm gonna have to really look next time I see a sick oak(group). There's some dying oaks on the farm at work. I'll keep an eye on some of the ones that don't appear sick yet.
 
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