Whats killing the trees

[themapleking]

Have any of you notice a very small white creture on the Beech trees. There are thousands of them all over the trees, and what every limb they're on it dies. the ground under that limb is all black and rotton, like a dead animal decomposed their.
Have you seen this white thing and what is it. It's only on the Beech trees and has spread real fast and bad. :( :?

Joe

[mapleman3]

How bout posting a picture? I don't know what a beech tree looks like... I may recognize the tree by a pic :)

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jim,

The bark is the smoothest of any tree and it is light gray in color. :D

[syrupmaker]

Joe, We have found them in our woods also.Sent a branch with them on it to the cooperative extension and found they are Wooley Aphids. The spot on the ground is called honey dew and is supposedly edible until it turns black and rotten looking. What is actually on the ground is the feces of these bugs, so i'm pretty sure i won't be doing a taste test. The coop said that they wont kill the tree but may kill the branch they are sucking the sap from. I just wonder how mant branches will they draw from? Sooner or later i would think the tree has to run out of branches! They have no body structure to them and when squished between your fingers they look like you squeezed a whiteash from a fire. Do a search and type in WOOLEY APHID Pretty wild information is available about them.

Rick

P.S. They come from the Massachusets area. Funny thing they showed up about a week after the yall come Labor day weekend. What a coincidence, i had freinds in from Mass over Labor day. :wink:

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Wollies are a bad think in this neck of the woods. There after the hemlock bigtime here and in Maine...Type in American Beech in a search engine and probably they will have a picture or two/Same on the wooly too i would imagine..Kevin

[themapleking]

Rick Funny you mention that. I had that same mass. guy over at my place too. I guess his plan on taking over the maple belt is true.
He got us , some freind :wink:

[mapleman3]

**** you NY guys figured me out :lol: It was a diabolical plan untill those medling kids got involved!!! :wink: :wink:

Scooby doo reference for those with kids :wink:

[forester1]

Another problem with beech is beech bark disease. It's a combination of a native insect and introduced fungus. There is a couple spots with it here in Michigan but mostly still in the east, I think in the Pennsylvania area. The first wave through kills about 80-90% of the mature trees. Beech might be the next american elm. I sure would miss those big beech with the bear claw scratches in the bark.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Something killed all the huge chesnut trees out down here before I was born. There is still a few pieces of them laying around in the woods, but that is all and it is a shame as they burn great too. :cry:

[themapleking]

I was tapping today when I notice 6 Beech trees up to 14" that were as black as night the hole tree. I know that these trees were covered with Wooley Aphids this summer.
The cooperative extension told Rick that they will only damage the limb they're feeding on and will not hurt the tree. :? Like Rick said sooner or later the tree will run out of limbs.
Last I checked Beech trees are gray not black. I just can't belive a gov. run department would lie to the public. I'm thinking that this is the first time the gov. has lied. Perhaps they made a mistake. Or Rick didn't understand the language they where speaking :wink:
Like I need more fire wood :lol:

[saphead]

In my neck of the woods the ash blight has killed all but a few of my ash trees ...bummer, the grain is beautiful and nobody seems to care that we're losing another tree to disease.

[forester1]

Could be beech bark disease. It might look similar to wooly adegid. It has white fuzzy spots on the bark. If it is, 90% of your beech will die in the next few years. Tell them foresters to get away from their computers and out in the woods. :? Also downstate here is emerald ash borer. An insect that came in wood crates from China and escaped. Southeast Michigan has lost most of it's ash and the insect is still spreading despite a quarentine on moving firewood and logs from the area. So Ash and Beech may be in big trouble here.

[mapleman3]

Most important though is watch out for the asian longhorn beetle... our assotiation is working hard on educating the public!! with every jug of syrup I sell there will be a brocure stuck in the handle telling and showing pictures and info on the **** beetle... if anyone wants to know more I can help you out.. I don't know if we can order more brochures or what but I can find out.