We need to know where you are located for starters. Then we need pictures of the damage.

Sorry,I'm not so good with pics. Tremors.

I'm in USDA zone 9,so.cal.

I know the apple won't bloom here so no need to go there.

The bark has disappeared in startlingly straight rows.

We have roof rats,I'd thought of that and set traps. I'm thinking some Beatle larva?

The apple should bloom regardless of location as long as it is outdoors....it is just unlikely to produce any fruit if the location is not suitable for that variety :-) (btw, lots of folks grow apples that are productive in your zone)

Squirrels will often strip bark for nesting material and that will be in vertical lines. Beetle larvae would not make that sort of damage pattern.

No squirrels here. What should I do?more traps?

We really do need to know your general location so that we can make better guesses.

How large is the bonsai? Where is it located....on a table, directly on the ground?

Is the damage along the stems, the trunk?

I'd first guess squirrels, too. Bark stripping is a food and moisture gathering activity.

Zone 9 so. California don't do it?

It's on a table. I left a comment yesterday but I don't see it now.

It's 18" tall. 3"-4" Diameter trunk. 12yrs old.

Bark on trunk and branches are affected .

Otherwise the tree is healthy.

I do appreciate your help. The poor thing don't have much bark to spare.

Fruit would be neat. Thanks gardengal!

Ground squirrels in the parks and wilderness but ive not see any out here. Would rats do it?

Rabbits have eaten the bark off some of my apple trees this winter. They might also be the culprit you're looking for. I'm keeping a good thought that my trees will recover. I hope the same for your tree.

Thanks for that spedigrees.

No rabbits either. Sure we got jacks,but not this far in city. Possum and rats is all we seee here.

I think possum would have obliterated this little tree by now. I'm betting on rats.

Is their perhaps something else that would cause a stressed tree to lose it's bark? Fungi,insect,any pathology anyone knows of?

There are many reasons why a tree could start to lose bark. But without any photos, it is just speculation at this point as to what might have caused it.

Here are my rabbit-eaten apple tree trunks. I'm keeping a good thought for the apple trees' survival. Our pony once ate an apple tree pretty much down to the roots and it is a big tree now. Of course the pony has been long gone to greener pastures while the rabbits are still running rampant.

That looks similar. I'll try to post pics.

I do seem to recall peeling some of the bark off myself.it was just sitting there,kinda like something had eaten it from beneath,leaving the bark raised a little.

Who carries your pics?

Google?

Is it free?

Sorry but lost free photo sharing on photobucket.

I'd been there so long I'm out of the loop...and very comuter illiterate . Illiterate may be the wrong word,suffice it to say,I can't do it very good.

No comprende.

You don't need a photo sharing site with Houzz. You can load pix that are on your computer by hitting the "Photo" icon when responding on the thread.

tj

Gardenweb/houzz provides picture hosting service. Just click on "Houzz Photo" when you've written your post, and search for a photo on your computer, then when it appears click "insert" and it should show up in your post. (Sorry but I don't know how to do this on a phone - I don't have a smart phone.)

For what it's worth, I went outside yesterday to see that the rabbits have stripped the bark nearly all the way around one of my apple tree trunks. I think they must be starving due to this never-ending winter weather. I'm going to let the chips fall where they may, and if my apple tree(s) die, depend on the invasive bushes that are also growing in that spot (honeysuckle and some kind of red stemmed bushes) for privacy.. It's been a tough winter this year!

You don't even need to use Houzz Photo. Just click on the Photo icon and it will go straight to the pictures on your computer. Choose the pic you want us to see click on it and it will go into your post.

"Just click on the Photo icon and it will go straight to the pictures on your computer. Choose the pic you want us to see click on it and it will go into your post."

That doesn't work on my computer. I have to click on the "Houzz Photo" icon to be able to search my computer for an image.

So here's where it lives,and the damage:

Didn't know it was easy.Thanks.

Sammy the dog looks to be the laid back type who's not much help protecting trees from bark-eating predators!

If he sees them he barks,but he generally don't care.

Whatever caused the damage it seems to have happened a while ago. The wounds don't look fresh.

Yep. Year before last was the last attract. I just don't want it to happen again.

So,to put it differently,what do you use for insects that will be safe for ponds and just keeping my plants safe without dangerous chems.?

I know our chickens keep so many bugs at bay,but bores,for instance,get by them.

I think it may have been bores.