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I N S E C T S
Birch leafminer
A troublesome pest for a birch tree is the Birch Leaf Miner (Fenusa
pusilla) . Like the lethal bronze birch borer, it is the larvae of the
birch leaf miner which causes damage by burrowing into birch leaves in
search of nutrients. The first indications of birch miner infestation are
small green spots on the leaf surface, usually noticeable in May or June,
which develop into ugly brown splotches. A birch leaf miner infestation
rarely kills birch trees on its own but it is disfiguring and can weaken a
tree making it susceptible to borer attack.
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Bronze birch borer
Of the number of pests which are attracted the birch trees, the bronze
birch borer (Agrilus anxius) is the most important as it is both lethal
and difficult to control. As an adult, the borer is a small bronze
coloured beetle up to 2 inches (5cm) in length. The damage, though, is not
caused by the beetle itself but by the larvae which bore into the phloem
and cambium layers after emerging from their eggs on the bark. The borers'
tunneling weakens and kills trees by interrupting the flow of sap. The
entire lifecycle of the borer is one year from egg to beetle
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D I S E A S E S
Anthracnose
Wetwood or Slime Flux
Back to Birch Trees
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