Ambrosia Beetle Surprise

I normally get 1 tree a year hit by them. My first year coincidently was a la bourgeoise, which I freaked out and chopped it and double bagged the entire pot and all and got rid of it. Since then it’s been 1 a year….until this year. My trees that were left out got frosted and weakened which I’m sure attracted them. They hit both the frosted trees and trees weren’t frosted. About 6-8 trees got hit( I noted them) most were 1-2 holes which I caught early, some were actively burrowing as I watched. I poked a paper clip in the hole and drenched the trunks again with permethrin. 4 trees didn’t recover so I chopped them, 1 is now re growing. The other couple I didn’t chop are behind growth 1-2 weeks but seem to be growing fine.

I really hate these beetles.
 
That's horrible. This thread is freaking me out! I never even heard of those ambrosia beetles.
 
A few of my trees got hit this season as well. I had left out about a dozen large trees potted in 15 gallon pots on the last frost we had and it went down to around 25 degrees these trees were also pruned pretty heavily. About half of those got hit by the beetles and none of the others ( hundreds) were effected.
Steve Gofigurefarm @Rewton battled these buggers every year with his inground planted orchard. He recommended spraying the trunks with Pemriythen with a bark penetration added.
I've wondered how effective spraying the trunks with Surround clay and Pemriythen mixed would work. Or even the Surround , bark penetration, and Pemriythen all together.
 
DCallahan said:
A few of my trees got hit this season as well. I had left out about a dozen large trees potted in 15 gallon pots on the last frost we had and it went down to around 25 degrees these trees were also pruned pretty heavily. About half of those got hit by the beetles and none of the others ( hundreds) were effected.
Steve Gofigurefarm @Rewton battled these buggers every year with his inground planted orchard. He recommended spraying the trunks with Pemriythen with a bark penetration added.
I've wondered how effective spraying the trunks with Surround clay and Pemriythen mixed would work. Or even the Surround , bark penetration, and Pemriythen all together.
Click to expand...
Do you think late frost damage is more of an attractant to ambrosia beetles than winter damage?
 
That sucks I HATE them. Two of my trees got hit last season had to cut to a stump. I tried injecting insecticide and alcohol into the holes but the tops died anyway
I noticed you use the same limb spreaders that I use I really like them.
 
superdave336 said:
The NCSU has a publication on them and a trap at the bottom one could make.

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/granulate-asian-ambrosia-beetle-1
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for sharing @superdave336! The trap is a good idea I haven't seen before. I also really liked the description of the conditions that the beetles like to attack (wet soils, warmer temps) and the fact that they peak in NC in early April. It would be great if forum members could share when they get hit so nearby figgers know when to spray proactively.
 
Fishinjunky said:
That sucks I HATE them. Two of my trees got hit last season had to cut to a stump. I tried injecting insecticide and alcohol into the holes but the tops died anyway
I noticed you use the same limb spreaders that I use I really like them.
Click to expand...
Yes, I start with the blue spreaders and then graduate to 10" spreaders. My trees are fairly tightly spaced, and last year many branches that the blue spreader moved away from the branch just started growing completely vertical only a few inches from the main trunk.
 
bushdoctor82 said:
Do you think late frost damage is more of an attractant to ambrosia beetles than winter damage?
Click to expand...
I don't know, Im 100% potted trees here at my current location so I don't have any winter damage to compare side by side with the potted trees that received frost damage/stress. At my parents' house where my in-ground trees are I have no potted trees, And those trees receive very little if any winter damage anyway.
 
DCallahan said:
A few of my trees got hit this season as well. I had left out about a dozen large trees potted in 15 gallon pots on the last frost we had and it went down to around 25 degrees these trees were also pruned pretty heavily. About half of those got hit by the beetles and none of the others ( hundreds) were effected.
Steve Gofigurefarm @Rewton battled these buggers every year with his inground planted orchard. He recommended spraying the trunks with Pemriythen with a bark penetration added.
I've wondered how effective spraying the trunks with Surround clay and Pemriythen mixed would work. Or even the Surround , bark penetration, and Pemriythen all together.
Click to expand...
Sounds like an experiment for next spring. Sorry to hear some of your trees hit as well.
 
A quick update… I ended up having to cut all three trees nearly to the ground after the WM#1 kept getting attacked. So far, only the La Bourgeoisie (which only had one toothpick) looks like it might make it.
IMG_5086.jpeg
I actually got a photo of one the beetles before killing it. They are tiny and move pretty quickly. Look at the brown spot just above the white line. This is 3x magnification on my iPhone.IMG_5001.jpeg
I sprayed my trees Wednesday to try to discourage other attacks using Permectrin II from Amazon. This solution is 10% vs the 36% that figgers w/more experience battling ambrosia beetles recommended (available here:
https://www.solutionsstores.com/permethrin-sfr-insecticide). I couldn’t find good ratios for ambrosia beetles on live trees so I used 2.5 T per gallon water (the official recommendation for spraying down farm premises for pests is 40 ml/gallon or 2.7 T) and Safer soap to make it stick better.

I’d love to hear from anyone else who sprays (particularly with the 36%) what their ratio is. I’m not sure if using the farm premise ratio is correct for ambrosia beetles on living trees.
 
9ah-figlet said:
A quick update… I ended up having to cut all three trees nearly to the ground after the WM#1 kept getting attacked. So far, only the La Bourgeoisie (which only had one toothpick) looks like it might make it.
View attachment 8618
I actually got a photo of one the beetles before killing it. They are tiny and move pretty quickly. Look at the brown spot just above the white line. This is 3x magnification on my iPhone.View attachment 8619
I sprayed my trees Wednesday to try to discourage other attacks using Permectrin II from Amazon. This solution is 10% vs the 36% that figgers w/more experience battling ambrosia beetles recommended (available here:
https://www.solutionsstores.com/permethrin-sfr-insecticide). I couldn’t find good ratios for ambrosia beetles on live trees so I used 2.5 T per gallon water (the official recommendation for spraying down farm premises for pests is 40 ml/gallon or 2.7 T) and Safer soap to make it stick better.

I’d love to hear from anyone else who sprays (particularly with the 36%) what their ratio is. I’m not sure if using the farm premise ratio is correct for ambrosia beetles on living trees.
Click to expand...
What are you using for mulch on the square pots?
 
As an update, I'm calling the La Bourgeoisie dead. When ambrosia beetles attack, they infect the tree with a fungus that can also kill the tree. This is what the fungus-infected tree looks like.

It was a heathy tree that the ambrosia beetle attacked on June 7th. It was the only tree that I didn't cut to the ground because it only had 1 hole near the top, and I chopped well beneath it. It took a sudden dramatic turn for the worse about 1 week ago when leaves began to wilt. Initially, I thought it was only heat, but it never recovered. The tree died in about 1 week in mid-July.
2025-07-16 12.29.42.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top