Sapsuckers make rows of holes
Published: Sunday, January 6, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 4, 2013 at 12:53 p.m.
Have you ever seen neat rows of holes in a maple, pecan or other tree and wondered what made the holes?
Most people might think it was some kind of insect or borer. Both can damage the tree, but one will damage it more severely than the other.
There are two ways to tell if this damage was done by an insect or something else. The first way to tell is if the holes are very deep. Insects or bores drill deep holes into the tree. Another thing to note is the pattern. If the pattern is random, it is most likely an insect, but if the holes are neatly made, then it could be something else.
This time of year, the Southern states have a migratory bird visit that is called the yellow-bellied sapsucker. This bird might be the culprit doing damage to your trees.
The yellow-bellied sapsucker is a member of the American woodpecker family. This particular sapsucker spends the winters in the Southern part of North America and then goes north to Canada and the Great Lakes district for the spring and summer months to breed. There are other sapsuckers, but to my limited knowledge about birds, the yellow-bellied sapsucker is the one seen in our area.
During the late fall, winter and very early spring, sapsuckers might visit your trees for a special little treat. I have found sapsuckers to be an interesting looking small woodpecker that goes around the tree making small, usually round holes in the tree. Sugar maples and pecans are two of the trees they are drawn to in the South. I have read they also visit the birches, pines and other species in the North.
Most woodpeckers make a loud rat-a-tat-tat sound, but the sapsucker is different. It produces a softer sound that is not as loud. Most woodpeckers are after beetles and grubs hiding in the tree. Sapsuckers do eat insects but also come back for the sap that the tree produces after the sap starts to flow. This is how they got their name.
The yellow-bellied sapsucker has a black crest on the chest, yellow belly, white stripes on the end of the wings and a red head. The male has a red chin, distinguishing him from the female who has a white throat. However, when you see the sapsucker, one rarely sees the yellow on the stomach.
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers are known for the horizontal and vertical holes that are quite uniform and neatly placed on trees. They make two shapes of holes.
The round holes that are made on living trees are usually a quarter-inch and are deeper than the sometimes-seen rectangular holes. To my knowledge, this is the only woodpecker that does this particular kind of boring.
The sap that flows from the tree provides a wonderful delicacy for the bird. One of his favorite trees in our area is the sugar maple, where the sap flows freely.
Most things I have read say the bird is not harmful to trees, because the holes they drill are not deep enough to do damage. However, I have lost a sugar maple in our back yard to these birds. They can girdle the tree and put many holes in the outer bark causing the tree to becomes weak.
I recently went to visit the Richards conifer collection in Hendersonville, and they had holes in a birch tree that we assumed came from a sapsucker. Because the sapsuckers had discovered his tree and were starting to make rectangular holes, Mr. Richards had pie tins hanging in the tree to discourage further boring.
Don Shadow, a noted tree grower, says the only thing to do when a sapsucker discovers your tree is to wrap the tree with aluminum foil during the winter months. You can also wrap a tree trunk with burlap, and this will protect it.
I hope you do not have damaged trees, but if you do see holes, you might want to wrap the damaged area of your tree until late winter to discourage them from coming back.
Betty Montgomery, a master gardener, can be reached at BMontgomery40@gmail.com or 864-585-9213.