Cherry Tree Gummosis: Peach Tree Borer Management

Four-year-old cherry trees exude sticky gum from every branch; suspect stem borer.

Confirmation: Peach Tree Borer

Synanthedon exitiosa attacks cherry, peach, plum. Larvae tunnel cambium; gum is tree's defense.

Egg-laying: Mid-July – mid-August (warmer areas: July 1 – Sept).
Preventive trunk spray: Spinosad (organic) or permethrin/esfenvalerate during egg-laying window. Kills hatching larvae before entry.
PDB crystals (mothballs): Band 1–2" from trunk, cover with 5–10" soil mound in Sept or late spring. Fumigates larvae inside.
White trunk paint (base 2 ft): Deters egg-laying.

Monitor for adult moths (clear-winged, striped, 1–2"). Spray timing is critical—mark calendar.

Plant Diseases: Weeping Cherry Gummosis: Borer Management and Fruit Production; Replanting Weeping Cherry After Borers: Soil Treatment and Care; Mature Weeping Cherry Decline: Sap, Borers, Cankers, and Winter Injury; Diagnosing a Non-Flowering Cherry Tree: Is It Dead?; Cherry Tree Root Damage from Pool: Prune Dead, Fertilize; Borers in Eucalyptus and Valley Oak: Likely Longhorn Beetles; Managing Borers in Japanese Maples: Systemic Insecticides and Tree Health; Cherry Tree Decline After Construction Root Damage; Cherry Tree Growth Rate and Fast-Growing Alternatives; Cherry Tree Gummosis: Causes, Diagnosis, and Proper Care

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