And here I just planted a bunch of Scots pine this spring!

I was reading one website and its suggest to place an inflated snake or plastic owl near the affected area in the tree during migration. This may help reduce additional damage.

Sharon

Sapsuckers love to do their work on such trees as pines, spruce, willows and birch, etc. For years, I had nurtured a beautiful weeping birch, only to have the damned sapsuckers kill the top of it. They also destroyed a top grafted globe spruce, the entire trunk was riddled with large holes, some up to an inch across!

Appears the damage your trees have received was done earlier this spring. They will recover from this relative minor attack, though you don't want them to come back and continue to peck away!

Although, I believe they are a protected species, I find the best way to deal with the buggers is with a pellet gun! ... but, don't tell anyone I said so! Just make sure you catch them in the act and instead don't end up doing in a woodpecker! Sapsuckers also have a distinctive call.

Terry

Thank you all!

Actually, I wasn't aware of this damage, until we had friends come over [from Whitecourt] and checked them out, they said, it killed some of their trees.
They are putting on some Tar on the effected area, I don't think I will do it for now, the Dr. Farwell heal and seal I think is overkill, too expensive for the amount I have to put on, not sure yet what I'll use, I'm thinking to spray with latex paint first.
Shauna, going to a tree farm is a good idea, not sure if Sapsuckers go on little trees,..but I will ask.
Terry, this is too bad what happened!...Do you apply anything on the damage?
Konrad

A friend in town wrapped the areas with plastic where the sapsuckers were eating and it seemed to help drive them off to other trees that he didn't care about. It was about 4'-5' wide strips of stiff plastic that he used. I'll have to ask him tomorrow at work how it was working.

Syreeta

Konrad, I had not applied anything to the damaged areas, it was too late for the birch and the spruce!

Thank you all!
I think I'm going to try the plastic ....thanks Syreeta!

Darn, he came back and did a number on my beloved chokecherry tree, grown from seed.

I have painted it up but he just put more holes in!

It looks like this is the guy, or girl?
I don't want to kill them, there are always others what come.

Konrad

He should be gone soon, Konrad, making his way south. I've had 2 juveniles visiting the yard for several weeks and haven't seen them in the last week. I put out orange halves for the orioles (which didn't come) and to my surprise the sapsuckers fed on these oranges. They were at them constantly. Perhaps you can entice them away from your chokecherry tree bark with some orange halves?

I think your chokecherry tree will survive just fine - my concern would only be that damaged wood is a good place for black knot disease to form.

Hi Konrad,
Sorry to see your sapsucker damage. I have a grove of pine that they are constantly feeding in and am also worried about future damage on some newly planted birch saplings.

Along the same line as wrapping with plastic...what about the narrow platic coils that you can get to put around the base of trees to keep the weedwacker at bay, but just use more to cover the trunk higher up. Another idea is old CD's hung on strings. They reflect light really well and may spook them enough to keep them away. I think they even create little rainbows :)

Our juveniles (born in the laundry line condo)came back this fall for awhile as well, but I think they have moved south now.
They are so common I think that if any "leave" they'll likely be replaced by another pair right away.

Pudge, that is pretty neat they liked the oranges :)

Thank you all!
>>I put out orange halves for the orioles (which didn't come) and to my surprise the sapsuckers fed on these oranges. They were at them constantly. Perhaps you can entice them away from your chokecherry tree bark with some orange halves?About 20 feet away is my feeding station and have also put up orange halves the whole season, only the female downy wood pecker I have seen so far.

This year is my first year, [after learning sapsucker damage from our friends] to constantly watch for damage, I think, once you can spot it sooner, it can be repaired fairly quick and the tree can heal better.
Looking the other day at the French willows, some larger branches are dead from the damage!
Today I spotted a apple tree with some holes but it's healeing in nicely.
Oh..it seems, willow damage doesn't heal very good or not at all!
Konrad

Nice photo Konrad, and you might have found a good solution to the problem!

Terry

A pair is around in the neighbourhood again all day long, now I can hear by it's tap tap tap, who is coming!
Two damaged pine trees, one I fixed with seal last year but more holes again and sap is just running down.
Even with a wound seal put on, some sap still comes out, guess better then nothing.
Does anybody know of a suet they like?

{{gwi:97421}}

Konrad

Uh Oh. I was just reading an article in The Gardener for the Prairies magazine.....

It says males arrive in early May followed by the females a few days later. They're going to have about 4-7 babies.

What I found disturbing for you is that a tree can have a thousand or more holes in it !

BTW A group of trees worked over by sapsuckers is called a sapsucker orchard =:(

Unfortunately the article didn't say anything about how to keep them away from your trees.