4 Common Tree Insects Wichita Homeowners Should Watch For

Tree insects aren’t just annoying – they can quickly become a costly problem. These bugs can damage or kill trees, necessitating expensive removal and lowering property value. Knowing the common pests and what to look for while living in Wichita, Kansas, will help protect your trees before the infestation becomes too extreme.

Key Takeaways:

• Early detection through regular tree inspections is crucial for managing tree pests effectively, as many insects like scale, bagworms, and bronze birch borer can cause severe damage if left unchecked.
• Tree stress makes plants more vulnerable to insect attacks, so maintaining tree health through proper watering, fertilization, and mulching is essential for pest prevention.
• While some pests like boxelder bugs are mainly nuisances, others like bronze birch borer and scale insects can severely damage or kill trees if not adequately managed.
• Professional intervention from Certified Arborists is often necessary for effective pest control, especially when dealing with severe infestations or when specific timing of treatments is crucial.

4 Wichita Tree Insects to Watch Out for and Protect Your Property From

As the temperatures rise and spring arrives in Wichita, so do tree insects that threaten your landscape. These pests can cause plenty of damage, from minor aesthetic harm to outright killing the tree.

To help protect your trees from these pesky bugs, homeowners need to inspect them regularly. But for the inspection to be effective, you must know what to look for and what to do when you detect tree insects to protect your property from further harm.

1. Scale Insects

Have you ever looked at your tree and noticed bumps on it and wondered what they are? This is not a natural development – it is scale insects. These hard-to-kill pests can threaten your trees.

The term “scale insects” does not describe a single species but thousands of closely related species. We divide scale insects into two broad categories:

• Soft Scales: Soft scales are the larger of the two and have a more rounded appearance. They have a waxy covering that is a part of their body and produce honeydew as they feed on your tree.
• Armored Scales: Armored scales develop a protective shelter that is not attached to their body. The shelter protects eggs and nymphs from the environment and predators. Armored scales do not leave honeydew behind.

Damage from scale insects can include:

• Yellowing leaves
• Wilting leaves
• Stunted growth
• Branch dieback
• Death of the tree in cases of severe infestation

Scale Insect Management and Prevention

Fast action will prevent scale insects from gaining a foothold on your tree. Some tasks you can do to manage scale include:

• Inspect Your Trees: Scale insects are easier to spot when they have their protective coating. To find the nymphs before they develop their shells, place a piece of double-sided tape on the tree and look for any nymphs on it twice a week.
• Keep Your Plant Stress-Free: Scale thrives on stressed plants, so do what you can to keep them vigorous. Provide supplemental water and fertilization when the tree lacks hydration and nutrients, and use proper mulching practices.
• Use Physical Controls: Prune any infested branches and dispose of them promptly. Spraying branches and the trunk with water can knock off the insect in any of its stages and kill it.
• Apply Insecticides: A professional can apply horticultural oils in the growing season to kill scales in any of their life stages. Dormant oils are also effective against soft scales, but not armored ones.

2. Bagworms

Bagworms are a major problem in Wichita and attack numerous tree species. Conifers, such as cedars and pines, are the most common hosts for bagworms, though they also attack deciduous trees like boxelder, sycamores, or maples.

Once bagworms find an appropriate host, they begin feeding on it and constructing the silken bag they take their name from. These bags are brown and hang down from the tree. It’s easy to confuse them at a glance for pine cones hanging from a branch, but a close inspection will reveal the insect. The bags help protect the larvae from predators like birds.

“Bagworm damage will ramp up as the year progresses and the larvae grow. By the end of the year, you may notice defoliation of your tree or shrub, though the amount will depend on the size of the plant and the infestation. Extensive feeding over many years, especially of conifers, can lead to the complete defoliation and death of the plant.” – Cody Siegrist, Plant Health Care Specialist at Arbor Masters

Bagworm Management and Prevention

There are two main ways a homeowner can control bagworm populations that are effective in Sedgwick County.

The first method is cultural control. This process involves handpicking the bags off your tree or shrub and depositing them in soapy water for at least 15 minutes. Then, you’ll dump the bucket into a location with plenty of sun. The downside of cultural controls is you’ll have to get rid of every bag, as even one bag can lead to 1,000 new bagworms next season. And some bags may be impossible to reach on a tall tree.

Insecticides are the other primary management option. Timing is crucial with bagworms, as you’ll want to apply chemicals when the larvae are ⅛ to ¼ inch long. Apply chemicals once a week for four weeks. For help with the timing, speak with an ISA Certified Arborist who can help you calculate the best time to spray and handle the process for you.

3. Bronze Birch Borer

Birches are common trees in Wichita landscapes and forests. However, they face a threat from the bronze birch borer. The typical birch species the pest targets includes:

• Paper birch
• Yellow birch
• Gray birch
• European white birch

Bronze birch borer is a wood-boring beetle that attacks trees in its larval form. The larvae feed on the tree’s inner bark, eventually disrupting its ability to transport nutrients from the canopy to the roots and vice versa. Extensive damage will completely restrict nutrient flow in the tree, leading to mortality and the necessity of removal.

Identifying bronze birch borer damage can be difficult, as most damage occurs under the bark. Keep an eye on your tree’s canopy and look for signs of discolored leaves or stunted growth. Then, look at the trunk for small (about ⅕ inch wide) D-shaped holes with rust-colored sap. These are the exit holes that the bronze birch borer makes upon leaving the tree.

Bronze Birch Borer Prevention and Management

Prevention is often the best choice when dealing with bronze birch borer, as it is difficult to save a tree once the infestation is too significant. Keeping your tree healthy and stress-free is a simple way to give it more vigor against bronze birch borer, as the insect tends to attack weaker trees. Some simple things you can do to keep your birches healthy include:

• Provide Supplemental Water: During a drought (like the one in late 2024), the lack of hydration causes tree stress, making it a prime target for pests. Water around the tree’s drip line (the portion under the canopy) and ensure you soak the ground to provide water to deeper roots.
• Apply Fertilizer: If a soil test reveals a deficiency in nutrients, targeted fertilization can give your tree additional energy to fight an infestation. Have a professional handle this process, as over-fertilization can have negative consequences on your trees.
• Put Down Mulch: Mulch helps regulate soil temperature and moisture. Birch trees generally prefer cool and moist environments, which mulch can easily facilitate. We recommend a two- to four-inch layer of mulch around your tree, keeping it away from the root collar (the part where the trunk meets the roots).

Once the insect is present, management is complex. Systemic insecticides can control the adult population that feeds on the leaves and can control larvae in the infested tree. However, these insecticides can’t reverse the harm the pest has already done to the birch. If the damage is too extreme, removal is the only option to prevent the pest from spreading to another tree.

4. Boxelder Bugs

Boxelder bugs are closely related to stink bugs and cicadas and attack a variety of hosts. These bugs prefer the boxelder as their host, though they also attack maples, fruit trees, pin oaks, and ashes. You can identify these pests by looking for the red lines on their wings that differentiate them from similar-looking insects.

Boxelder bugs rarely do much damage to your trees, though they can damage the fruit. The main issue with boxelder bugs is the nuisance they pose for homeowners when they infest a property and get inside the house.

Boxelder Bugs Management and Prevention

In most cases, you won’t have to do much to control boxelder bug populations. Kill any specimens you see, and seal up any cracks or openings where they can easily enter your house. There is very little justification to ever use chemicals to control the population.

Boxelder bugs love sunny locations, such as the side of your house that sees the most sunlight. Using an awning to shade the sunny side of a house can reduce the risk of infiltration into your house.

In cases of extensive infestation, removing the host tree can eliminate the bugs’ food source and thoroughly reduce the population.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tree Insects in Wichita

The world of managing insects is complicated and often full of confusing information and terminology. To help you better understand the threats your trees face, we’ve compiled some common questions to hopefully answer your questions.

Can tree insects spread from my neighbor’s trees to mine?

Yes, insects can spread from your neighbor’s trees. This is why you must remain vigilant of any signs of pests in the area and help practice community-wide insect control to protect Wichita’s local ecosystem.

How often should I have an arborist inspect my trees?

A yearly inspection from an ISA Certified Arborist early in the growing season can catch problems early and protect your trees from pests. You may need more frequent inspections if your trees have been dealing with insect infestations in the past or if there is an increased presence in Sedgwick County.

Can birds and beneficial insects control pest populations?

Introducing natural predators to your yard is part of an integrated pest management program and a chemical-free way to protect it. Attracting birds, parasitic wasps, ladybugs, and praying mantises will reduce the population of some insects. However, this method is ineffective against severe infestations or when dealing with an invasive species.

Arbor Masters Can Help Protect Your Trees from Common Tree Insects

Pest problems can range from nuisances to killing valuable species and lowering property value. When you need help getting a tree insect problem under control, you need experienced professionals and Certified Arborists.

The Arbor Masters’ team includes Certified Arborists who can make recommendations on the best way to deal with insect problems and prevent them in the future. Trust us with your trees and schedule a quote online today or call us at 316-838-3111.