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Pine Tree Holes in Rows: Sapsucker Woodpecker Damage

Sierra Pine Has Typewriter-Row Holes with White Caps, Dying in a Year

Owner describes small circular holes in rows, white capping, tree declines.

Expert Identification

Sapsucker (woodpecker). Holes collect sap, insects come, bird eats insects. White is sap. Spray insecticide on holes (Raid, Sevin) to kill insects, deter bird. Fertilize with 10-10-10 at 1 lb per inch trunk diameter now and spring.

Plant Diseases: Pine Bark Beetles in Alabama: Prevention via Tree Vigor—Contact Extension for Local Advice; Pine Tree Borer Holes and Moss: Bayer Systemic Treatment and Annual Prevention; Cedar Spruce Sap Sucker Damage: Bird-Caused Holes Misidentified as Borers; Diagnosing Pine Tree Decline in Southern Illinois; Pine Tree Identification: Expert Referral for Virginia Specimen; Can You Transplant a 20-Foot Pine Without Roots?; Sapsucker Woodpecker Damage on Pine: Identification and Simple Control; Pine Cone Absence in Massachusetts: Not Necessarily a Problem; Identifying a Tree with Round Cones & Tiny Needles: Bald Cypress; Identifying a Pine Tree from a Photo

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