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bugs in my willow #764218

Asked July 27, 2021, 1:43 PM EDT

Hello! I was hoping that you could help me identify the insects that I found underneath the bark of my willow tree. I took a picture of what I can see when I pull the bark back as photos of some other areas of the tree that seem affected by possible different stages of the same insect? Thank you for any help that you can give me. Cheers!

Arapahoe County Colorado

Expert Response

Hi Laura,

Willows can be homes to a wide variety of insects! The vast majority don't cause decline in the tree. Many will move into the tree after the tree is stressed and already declining in health.

In photo "Willow 3", I see earwigs and a caterpillar. Neither are causing a decline of the tree. Earwigs like to find dark places to hide during the day. They can be a nuisance is large numbers, but they cause very little damage to plants. In fact, they can be beneficial because they feed on a variety of pest insects (aphids, insect eggs, mites, etc.). Here is more information on earwings: https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/insect/05533.pdf

The caterpillar in the photo is likely a moth species. We can't get more specific in the caterpillar stage. A variety of caterpillars will feed on the leaves of willows, but again, the moth is likely not causing the decline of the tree. 

The photo of "Willow 1" appears to be a type of spider nest, or possibly was a spider egg sac. Spiders feed on a variety of insects. 

I don't see any evidence of insects causing decline, but if you are worried about the overall trees health, let's explore why it might be declining. 

In the photo "willow 2", it appears that you may be laying down landscape fabric? If you choose to lay down fabric, consider not have the fabric so close to the tree trunk. That has the potential harm to the trees roots. Adding mulch around the base of the tree can be a better solution. Here is more information on adding mulch around trees: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/658.pdf

Here is more information on keeping tree roots healthy: https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/garden/02926.pdf

Let me know if you have any questions. You can also email me at <personal data hidden> or <personal data hidden> 

An Ask Extension Expert Replied August 06, 2021, 2:23 PM EDT
Hi Lisa,
  Thank you so much for your reply.  I'm glad to hear that my willow is probably not being harmed by insects.  It was hit hard by the late frost several years ago and it was recommended that we remove it because it would never thrive again. But we loved it's beautiful shape and it was a large mature tree so we decided to cut back the dead and see how it would do. Since then, it's almost grown back as a large bush, if that makes sense, and maybe you can appreciate the bifurcating branches way down on the tree's trunk in the first attached photo.  The bark is definitely peeling off of the branches in several areas and I guess the reason I wondered about termites is the residue that you can just see at the bottom of the trunk in the second picture which appeared to be sawdust to me.  Can you help me with some other possibilities of what might be causing the bark to pull away?
    My dog unforetunately pulled up all of our drip system last summer so now it gets watered by hand, moving the hose around the dripline to several locations over about 40 minutes, probably every other week now that afternoon storms have tapered off.  Our soil does tend to have a lot of clay in it, as it seems everyone in the neighborhood has, but the willow does get fertilized in the spring.  I am going to build a moss rock wall around it at the base to keep the mulch around it since the slope of the berm keeps everything sliding down.  I will definitley pull the landscape fabric back further away from the trunk and then it will be mulched with pine bark whick is what we have used throughout our yard.
  Thank you again for all of your help!  I just want to be able to help this beautiful tree in some way if I can.
Sincerely,
Laura Stubbs 
On 08/06/2021 12:23 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
 
 
The Question Asker Replied August 06, 2021, 4:51 PM EDT

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