A contractor hired by the Niles Department of Public Works is currently spraying parkway trees in an effort to prevent Cottony Maple Scale and the Honeylocust Plant bug infestations.
Every spring, the village hires contractors to spray trees located on the public property. If left unchecked, Maple Scale insects can potentially kill entire trees, while Honeylocusts can eat all of the trees’ leaves. Maple Scale in particular has been a recurring problem in the area. The spraying was scheduled to begin on March 20, and it is expected to run until the end the month.
Maple Scale insects are about an eighth of an inch in size and live about twelve months. During the spring, the females create cotton ball like egg sacs that get attached to tree branches. The new generation of insects hatch in June and July, and spend the rest of the summer feeding on the trees. During the fall, males fertilize the females and die off. The newly fertilized females latch onto trees and enter a process similar to hibernation until the next spring.
In a statement to the press, Public Works Superintendent Fred Braun explained that Maple Scale’s feeding process can severely damage the tree.
“The insect feeding causes twig dieback,” he said. “The severe infestations can even kill major limbs and occasionally the entire tree, especially if the tree is stressed due to dry weather.”
Even if the damage isn’t severe, the insects’ presence in the trees tends to cause problems.
“Soft scales produce ‘honeydew,’ which is actually a sugary excrement that gets on car windows and anything else under the tree,” said Braun.”It attracts ants and wasps to the area and also coats the leaves, which promotes the growth of black, sooty mold fungi.”
In order to limit the Maple Scales’ spread, the village hired Bedford Hills, New York based SavATree tree care company to spray the trees before the females start making egg sacs. They are using refined oils, which will prevent the insects from feeding on the trees. The oil is safe for humans and pets.
In a statement to the press, Braun said that the company will give priority to silver maple trees.
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“While other trees may be infested, silver maple trees are its favorite host in Niles,” he said.
The spraying will also help stop the Honeylocust insects, which tend to favor Honeylocust trees. Like Maple Scales, they reproduce on trees. The insects feed on the trees’ leaves for their entire life cycles, but the insects in less mature “nymph” stages tend to do most of the damage.
“Damage can include severe leaf distortion, discoloration and dwarfed leaflets,” Braun said. “Severe defoliation weakens the tree and increases its susceptibility to invasion by secondary insect and disease pests.”
At worst, honeylocust insects can eat all of the tree’s leaves.
Overall, the contractors will spray approximately 3,000 trees.
Igor Studenkov is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.