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Green insect boring in Japanese lilac #877867

Asked July 18, 2024, 10:18 PM EDT

Green insect boring in Japanese lilac tree in photo. There were three of these insects that I just lodged when scraping out of the sawdust, from inside of the residual branch. 1. What type of insect is this? 2. What do we need to do to respond to ideally Save the tree or at least prevent spread to other trees or neighbors?

Hennepin County Minnesota

Expert Response

Hi,

This looks like a green sweat bee, which is not creating the rot but taking advantage of the decay that is already there to make nests. Some of these bees, which are beneficial pollinators, nest in rotting wood.

See this page:

https://nativebeeology.com/mind-your-bees-and-gardens-2/sweat-bee/

https://www.sharpeatmanguides.com/sweat-bees

A tree that is properly pruned shouldn't have that kind of rot. Leaving the stump of a branch means it won't heal, which is what has happened here. See "how much to remove" on this page:

https://extension.unh.edu/resource/basics-pruning-trees-and-shrubs-fact-sheet

If you want an expert to try to correct his, contact a certified arborist. You can find one here:

https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist

Hope this helps. Good luck!

MJ Replied July 19, 2024, 6:56 PM EDT

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