The Pest Problem You Need To Worry About When Growing White Birch Trees

While a white birch tree can be an aesthetically pleasing addition to the yard, it also comes with drawbacks. White birch trees can attract a common pest to the yard: bronze birch borers. These pests feed on the tree, sometimes damaging parts of it, and sometimes killing off the entire thing. Some types of white birch trees — like European white birch, moor birch, and Himalayan birch — are especially prone to attacks by these pests. Bronze birch borers are also especially drawn to white birch trees that are damaged or unhealthy in some way.

You may have already found the best place in your yard to grow birch trees. But if you even up choosing a white birch tree, you'll likely end up being visited by bronze birch borers. Taking steps to prevent damage to your tree, and ensuring it grows healthy, will go a long way toward preventing bronze birch borers. If you take these precautions, your life will be a lot easier.

The key thing to remember, when attempting to prevent bronze birch borers from invading your white birch tree, is that you need to keep your tree healthy. When a white birch tree becomes damaged and diseased, it's much more likely to attract these insects. 

Even pruning a white birch tree can cause damage, leading to more pests. White birch trees are among some of the plants you should avoid pruning during the winter, so wait until after the growing season to do it. If you find that a tree has become significantly damaged, you may want to simply remove the tree if you really want to avoid attracting these pests. If you haven't planted a white birch tree yet, consider other options. You may want to place another common species of birch tree in the area instead. Keep in mind that the river birch and Whitespire Senior gray birch are particularly resistant to bronze birch borers. 

If you already have a white birch tree and have begun experiencing problems with bronze birch borers, you may need to consider using insecticides. They will be effective against these bugs. Although preventing and removing damaged trees are great first steps, insecticides can work as a last resort to eliminate bronze birch borers.