Arizona Cypress Browning at Top: Tip Moth Infestation

Diagnosing Dead Tips on an Arizona Cypress

An Arizona cypress is browning at the top with a bore hole near the tip. The owner asks if it can be saved.

Adult moths lay eggs on terminal buds; larvae bore into the tip, killing it. The tree responds by bushing out below the dead tip.

Apply systemic Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control (imidacloprid) to soil—roots move it to foliage.
Cut off and destroy dead tips to remove larvae inside.
Foliar sprays must hit larvae before they enter the twig—timing is tricky; soil systemic is more reliable.

The tree will recover with a slightly altered form.

Trees: Cypress Canker on Italian Cypress: Identification and Management; Cypress Tree in Greek: Kuparissos (Κυπαρίσσος); Leyland Cypress Decline: Cankers, Pests, and Professional Diagnosis; Leyland Cypress Browning: Three Canker Diseases Compared; Italian Cypress Canker: Seiridium, No Cure, Manage Stress; Neighbor's Cypress Roots Damaging Driveway and Foundation; Managing Tip Moth Infestations in Evergreen Trees; Italian Cypress in Idaho: Hardiness Zone Mismatch; Cypress Knees at Foundation: Removal and Root Barrier; Eliminating Arizona Cypress and Its Knees with Herbicide

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