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Elm Tree Sapsucker Holes: Identification and Management

Elm has uniform drill-like holes around and up/down trunk. Cause?

Cause: Sapsucker Woodpecker

Bird drills holes → sap flows → insects feed on sap → bird eats insects. Elm's thick bark prevents health issues (unlike thin-barked maples where fungi enter).

Options

Do nothing – no harm to elm.
Discourage bird: Spray bark with insecticide to kill insects; bird leaves.

Trees: Assessing Elm Bark Flaking After Vine Removal; Apple Tree Bark Separating from Trunk: Tree Dead or Dying—Check for Borers, Fire Blight, Contact Extension; Pine Tree Holes in Rows: Sapsucker Woodpecker Damage; Sugar Maple Lightning Strike and Lichens: Damage Assessment; Cedar Spruce Sap Sucker Damage: Bird-Caused Holes Misidentified as Borers; Lacebark Elm Leaf Holes and Transplant Adjustment; Weeping Elm: Scale Insects and Lacewing Predators; Tree Fertilizer Spikes vs. Broadcast: Broadcast Wins; Controlling Aphid Honeydew on Elm Trees with Systemic Insecticides; Pruning and Fertilizing a Young Elm Tree

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