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Maple Leaking from Woodpecker Holes: Sapsucker Damage

A 20+ year old maple leaks clear liquid from rows of woodpecker holes up 15 ft. The thin bark allows sapsuckers to reach the cambium, which weeps water. Birds make holes to attract insects, then eat them. Spray trunk with insecticide (Merit) to kill insects; birds leave when food is gone. Wounds heal naturally. Do not patch holes.

Solution

Apply systemic insecticide to affected trunk area.
Repeat per label if needed.
Allow natural wound closure.

Trees: Cedar Spruce Sap Sucker Damage: Bird-Caused Holes Misidentified as Borers; That "Vine" on Your Maple Is Not a Root—Here's How to Remove It Safely; Maple Sunscald: Wrap, Fertilize, Protect from Borers; Maple Borer Infestation in Old Wound: Treatment and Risk; Saving a Split Maple Tree with Bracing; Diagnosing a Struggling Maple: Split Bark, Black Marks & Fungi; Old Maple with Hollow Limbs: Decay Fungi, Not Tree Death; Maple Tree Leaking Water: Slime Flux (Wetwood) Explained; Woodpecker Holes in Silver Maple: Decay Indicator; Maple Sap Dripping: Aphids or Cicada Damage?

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