Elm Leaf Beetle
Control
Protect your elm tree today–and keep it in peak shape for many years to come.
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Cost-Effective Elm Tree Protection
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Controlling Elm Leaf Beetle
There are various methods to control Elm Leaf Beetle, each differing in effectiveness. For optimal results, it's important to protect your trees at every stage of the beetle's life cycle, preventing any damage and ensuring your trees remain healthy. Soil or stem injection, administered by Cut and Climb's certified and experienced technicians, can provide effective protection for 2-3 years.
Why Elm Leaf Beetle is a problem for my tree
The damage to leaves by the feeding activity of adult beetles and larvae weakens Elm trees. Severe damage by the beetle causes leaves to die prematurely, while weakened trees are more susceptible to other stresses such as drought, or attack by other pests and diseases.
Repeated over several seasons, such damage can result in dieback of otherwise healthy trees or the decline of already stressed or weakened trees. However, treatment is available that can protect your Elm trees for up to three years, helping your trees to thrive.
Life Cycle and Identification
Adult beetles hibernate during winter in sheltered places such as bark crevices, sheds and woodpiles. Around mid October beetles emerge from hibernation, and with rising spring temperatures, begin feeding on elm leaves. Adult beetles chew small round holes through leaves, creating distinctive ‘shot hole’ damage.
In early November the beetles lay clusters of lemon-yellow eggs on the underside of leaves. Within 7-10 days larvae hatch. Larvae are voracious feeders, removing leaf tissue from between the leaf veins – this damage is referred to as skeletonising.
Heavy skeletonisation causes the leaves to turn brown and drop prematurely. Maturing within 2-4 weeks, larvae either crawl down the trunk or drop from the canopy, pupating at the tree base or in bark crevices. Adult beetles emerge about 10 days after pupation, repeating the cycle. In Melbourne there are typically two and sometimes three generations of beetle per year.
Elm Leaf Beetle FAQs
When is the best time to treat for Elm Leaf Beetle?
The tree can be treated all year round, but the ideal time is between July and the mid November.
What is the treatment guarantee?
We guarantee the treatment for one year and suggest treatment every three years.
What if I see damage on my treated trees?
Even treated trees will experience some initial damage early in the season. Adult beetles emerging from hibernation need to feed on the treated leaves to be killed.
Are treatments harmful to the environment?
The chemical used has low toxicity to humans and other mammals, although it is harmful to fish, birds and some soil organisms. Cut and Climb Tree Services prefers treating trees via stem injection containing the chemical wholly within the tree, thereby minimising exposure to the environment.