You planted your cedars and for years they grew beautifully and kept your yard looking green, but all of a sudden they are beginning to die off and you don’t know why. If it’s not the weather, watering or fertilizer what else could it be? Bugs! Those pesky little creepy, crawlies can do more damage to your trees than you make think. Here are few that you should watch out for:

  • *Cypress Tip Moth: Larvae tunnel into leaf scales on one and 2 year-old twigs in the spring. Leaves become yellow, then brown in late winter. White, spun cocoons can be found on leaf scales in early June. Western Red Cedar is not affected.
  • *Mites: Overall yellowing or browning of foliage in summer may be due to desiccating winds and drought stress or to mites. A few mites are not usually a problem, but in hot, dry weather they can build up to damaging levels. A magnifying glass may be needed to see them. Apply a specific miticide for control.
  • *Juniper Scale: Juniper scales attack juniper, arborvitae, cedar and cypress. Cones, twigs and needles are attacked. Heavy infestations deplete plant sap resulting in grey or yellow foliage, reduced growth over time and possible death of young trees. Black sooty mold often develops on honeydew. Scales are round to oval, white and 1.5 mm long. Direct controls against the newly-hatched crawlers in mid-June.
  • *Root Weevil: Adult weevil feeding can girdle young twigs and turn foliage brown, similar to flagging. The weevils feed at night so are not usually seen. Notching of the stem will be evident below the flagged portion of the branch. Damage can occur from March to July. If there is a lot of damage, a sticky band around the trunk will prevent adult feeding. Larvae may feed on roots but do not generally damage trees once past the seedling stage.

*information from gov.bc.ca