Has anyone seen this before? There seems to be black beetles in the holes.
Edit: Some of them cam out. They seem to be Hardwood Sump Borers
by spaceProbe
Has anyone seen this before? There seems to be black beetles in the holes.
Edit: Some of them cam out. They seem to be Hardwood Sump Borers
by spaceProbe
2 Comments
Whatever they are, deal with it now. This same damage killed a mature sycamore in my old backyard within a year.
Take a picture from further back so I can see more of the trunk in profile. Those look like they’re boring in an already-dead section of cambium rather than causing new damage.
ETA: with the beetle id it could go either way as far as whether they causing the damage or exploiting already damaged tissue. Either way, borer infestation is usually a sign of an already-stressed tree. There’s a lot of dead tissue around the base of the tree, you’ll want to get someone out to take a look in person.