Insect & Disease Management
An Ounce of Prevention ...
The Fairfield and New Haven County area of Connecticut is a hot spot for several highly destructive tree diseases and insect pests, including Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Plus, we have the usual problems with hemlocks and boxwoods, and the all-too-familiar summer defoliation of fruit trees (like your crabapple that's leafless by the time summer rolls around).
While it's always best to prevent tree problems when possible, there are situations where the problem is acute and needs immediate treatment.
What Do Your Trees Need?
Disease & Pest Control
Trees can get sick, just like we do. The key to effective treatment is to quickly identify the cause (often, it's an insect pest or a tree-infecting disease) and then administer the appropriate "medicine." Our Tree Health Care Manager will choose the best option to control or eliminate the pest or disease, while ensuring that the treatment has as little impact as possible on other plants or living creatures (such as pollinators and beneficial insects). We'll also recommend ways to prevent the problem from recurring.
Systemic Insecticide Applications
Whenever possible, we prefer to use insecticides that are injected directly into the tree or into the soil around the tree. This avoids the potential for spraying non-target trees and plants, and means that your property is safe to be on immediately after treatment. The injected pesticide is carried throughout the tree where it can be ingested by any pests eating the tree's tissues.
Horticultural Oil Treatments
Prevention is key when it comes to tree pests. Horticultural oil applications are a safe, effective way to prevent and control many common tree problems, such as hemlock wooly adelgid. Not only can this save you time and money, but it can also save you from having to use stronger and more costly pesticides to control an infestation later in the season.
Fungicide Applications
Fungicides are applied in spring and are used to prevent or control common fungal diseases, such as apple scab, anthracnose, powdery mildew, and rust. Typically, 2 to 3 treatments are needed for good control. Popular trees and shrubs that are susceptible to fungal infections include crab apples, pears, hawthorns, and dogwoods, among others.
Highly Targeted Treatments
Each damaging insect, tree pest or disease is targeted with a treatment that's specifically chosen to affect as few other insects, animals or plants as possible. Pesticides are only used when needed and broadcast spraying of non-specific insecticides is avoided if at all possible.
We use this environmentally-sensitive approach because it provides more effective results with less need for harmful chemicals. Plus, it's safer for people, pets, and the environment.
Schedule an Assessment Today
Regardless of the time of year, it's never too late (or too early!) to schedule a property assessment. Because pests and diseases appear at different times throughout the year, it's wise to understand which of your trees are at risk and develop a plan to pre-emptively deal with any issues.
What to Expect
The timing of each application is carefully scheduled for the time in the insect's life cycle or the disease's progression when it's most vulnerable or susceptible to treatment.
This means there are specific times of year when a treatment can - and cannot - be applied. We'll let you know if a treatment window has passed and how to get on the schedule for the next treatment opportunity.
We recommend regular monitoring to catch early signs of increasing pest populations and changes in environmental conditions that signal an upcoming disease outbreak.