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Borers and Decay in Mature Silver Maple: Integrated Management

Borer-killed limb with sawdust and hollow center: spray trunk and wound with imidacloprid (Merit) to kill active borers. Fertilize with 10-10-10 at 1 lb/inch trunk diameter spring and fall to boost vigor.

The hollow, dusty center is decay fungi entering via borer wounds—no treatment. Decay progresses slowly. Maintain health to compartmentalize. Monitor for structural weakness.

Trees: Silver Maple Losing Large Bark Slabs: When to Worry & What to Do; Silver Maple Trunk Rot: Don't Foam—Fertilize and Prune Deadwood; Paperbark Maple Sparse Foliage and Heavy Seeding: Causes and Fixes; Silver Maple Bark Splitting: Sunscald Diagnosis and Prevention; Coral Bark Maple Losing Bark: Sunscald, Borers, or Natural Exfoliation?; Bark Lice on Silver Maple: Harmless Insects Creating Silken Webbing; Frost Crack vs. Sunscald on Young Autumn Maple; Maple Bark Peeling: Decay Fungi and Borer Prevention; Car Impact on Maple: Bark Stripping Repair and Borer Prevention; Sycamore and Silver Maple Decline in Georgia Drought: Wait for Spring

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