Woodpecker Holes in Pine: Sapsucker Damage, Not Fatal

Rows of Holes in Pine = Sapsucker Woodpecker

The neat rows of holes with white sap on your pine are from a yellow-bellied sapsucker. They drill holes, insects come to the sap, and the bird returns to eat the insects. If needles are green, the tree is fine.

Simple Deterrent

• Spray the hole area with household insecticide (Raid, Sevin) to kill the insects. No insects = no bird visits.
• Fertilize: 10-10-10 at 1 lb per inch trunk diameter, scattered and watered in. Repeat next spring.

No need to cut the tree. Sapsucker damage is rarely lethal.