Tree Pests & Diseases

Trees throughout the Midwest are subject to countless insect pests and diseases. Learn how to recognize signs of infestation or infection, ways to prevent attacks on your trees, and how to minimize damage when destructive insects and deadly diseases reach your yard.

Pin oak with pale yellow, iron-chlorotic leaves beside a healthy deep-green maple in a western Des Moines front yard.
Why Are My Pin Oak Leaves Turning Yellow in Des Moines?
Yellow leaves on a pin oak can be more than a cosmetic issue. What begins as mild discoloration ...
Close-up of an American elm leaf with brown, scorched margins and a yellow halo separating the dead edge from the green center, a classic sign of bacterial leaf scorch.
Is Bacterial Leaf Scorch Killing Your Quad Cities Oak or Elm Tree?
In late summer across the Quad Cities, mature oaks and elms start showing crisp, brown edges that curl ...
Close-up of an adult emerald ash borer beetle resting on a green leaf stem.
Why Wood-Boring Beetles Are Attacking Your Oklahoma City Trees
Wood-boring beetles are becoming an increasing concern for Oklahoma homeowners. As invasive pests like the emerald ash borer ...
Cluster of pink-red crabapple fruits hanging from a branch with green and yellowing leaves on a Marion, Iowa, crabapple tree.
How to Identify and Stop Apple Scab on Crabapples
Many older Marion neighborhoods were planted with crabapple varieties that predate modern disease-resistant cultivars. During cool, wet Iowa ...
A close-up of two adult japanese beetle eating leaves of a tree
Why One Treatment for Japanese Beetles in Rock Island County Isn’t Enough
If your lindens, crabapples, or birches in Moline, Rock Island, or East Moline looked shredded by mid-August last ...
A metallic emerald green adult emerald ash borer beetle resting on a pale gray tree branch.
Emerald Ash Borer in Dallas: What to Do Right Now If You Have an Ash Tree
In January 2026, crews in Norbuck Park took down a 60-foot, nearly 80-year-old ash tree that had already ...
Elm tree crown showing Dutch elm disease symptoms with yellowing leaves and bare branches in Des Moines Iowa.
Dutch Elm Disease Treatment vs. Removal: Making the Right Decision for Your Des Moines Elm
If you've discovered Dutch elm disease in one of your Des Moines trees, March is your decision window ...
Oak tree with twisted branches, significant canopy dieback, and thinning foliage against a cloudy sky.
Oak Wilt in Your Neighborhood? How to Protect Your Trees Before It Spreads
Your neighbor's oak was just removed. Not long ago, it looked like a healthy tree, and now, you’re ...
Close-up of an ash tree trunk with bark removed, revealing the distinctive S-shaped serpentine galleries carved by emerald ash borer larvae beneath the surface.
When to Treat Ash Trees for Emerald Ash Borer in Cedar Rapids
Emerald ash borer doesn’t kill ash trees suddenly – it kills them quietly. For two to three years, ...
A close-up view of scale insects covering tree branch with ants tending them.
What You Can Do to Protect Your Trees from Scale Insects This Spring
As spring settles into Oklahoma, scale insects begin their active life cycle on trees across the Tulsa area. ...