Small Holes in Pine Trunk: Sapsucker Damage, Not Insects

What’s Making Quarter-Inch Holes in My Pine Trees?

Nine pines show rows of ¼-inch holes from 1.5 ft up the trunk. Black ants are seen in sap. Needles are still green.

Diagnosis: Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker (Woodpecker)

The holes are drilled by sapsuckers to feed on sap. Ants and other insects are attracted to the sap, not the cause. The birds return to eat the insects.

Action

• Spray trunk with liquid Sevin (carbaryl) to kill insects; woodpeckers will leave when food source is gone.
• If needles were browning, suspect pine beetles—then immediate control is needed to prevent spread to other pines (not maples).

Key Point

Green foliage + uniform hole rows = sapsucker. No long-term harm to healthy trees.