Emerald Ash Borer - Now in Howard County, MD

The Emerald Ash Borer, as shown, has arrived into Howard County. This nasty pest is moving ever closer to Baltimore City. Baltimore City has approximately 300,000 Ash trees. The cost, just to remove a dead or dying tree is in the neighborhood of $500-1000. The Ash is planted in our cities since Ash trees are drought resistant and can tolerate adverse conditions.

The Emerald Ash borer is actually rather striking in appearance. From a bright glossy green on the wings to brilliant purple abdominal segments, you will be able to know immediately what you are seeing. Unfortunately, you may not see the borer! You will see, however, the damage caused by the insect. Very often the borers can be found in firewood. NEVER transport firewood from your home to a new location. The beetle will infest firewood. Transporting of firewood as of now is not permitted over
county lines in the state of Maryland.

It is just a matter of time before Anne Arundel County, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties will find the Emerald Ash Borer. If you are in doubt about the insect you have found please contact the county extension agent. As a society we need to do everything we can to prevent the spread of the beetle.

To make the situation worse there are other beetles that are somewhat similar in appearance to the Emerald variety. Most notably, the bronze birch borer, the six spotted tiger beetle and the two lined Chestnut borer are often mistaken for the Ash borer. The damage is caused by the small tunnels that are eaten into the tree just under the bark. These tunnels disrupt the flow of water and nutrients to the
tree. A tell tale sign is the dying off of the top of the canopy of the tree, the sudden growth of shoots at the base of the tree, severe splitting in the bark and a dramatic increase of wood pecker activity on the Ash tree.

Do not hesitate to CONTACT US, especially if you are a resident of Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Calvert or St. Mary’s counties, if you even suspect the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer.

BAGWORM ALERT, Anne Arundel County and Mid-Maryland

Now is the time to find bagworms! The bags start off as very small silken containers on the underside of the stems on the trees. Most often the bagworms infest Leyland Cypress, Japanese maple and spruce (all varieties). Good description; the bags look like small pine cones! The bags are very difficult to tear open: they are silk!

How do you deal with bagworms? Some people simply pull the bag off and drop
the bag into a container of soapy water. This is not the best way! When the bag
is pulled off, there is a thread of the silk that holds the bagworm on the branch
that is left behind. The silken thread will stay behind and will girdle the tip of the branch: this silk will cause the tip to die off! There are therefore two problems
caused by the bagworm: the foliage that is eaten by the worm (from now until
mid-August) and the silken thread that is left behind on the tip of the branch
that can girdle the tip and cause the tip to die off. If you are going to do the job
yourself you must cut the bag off with a knife or use shears. You should never
just pull the worm off of the branch. Then drop the bag into the soapy water!!
You will have to do this for several weeks as the bags will be of varying size and
will continue to increase in size. The best time to deal with bagworms has long
passed: a dormant oil spray applied in late winter or very early spring will keep
the worms at bay.

You will also need to clean up the area under the infected trees and dispose of
the debris. Well, just what do you do if the tree is large and heavily infected or
there are just too many trees for you to deal with? There are sprays available,
most use Bt, a bacteria spray harmless to pets and children. Tall trees or too
many infected trees to deal with? No sprayer? Or no sprayer strong enough?
Contact us for assistance, we can spray now and offer you a tree and shrub plan to prevent future problems.

Moss in Anne Arundel County Maryland

We do get calls frequently in regards to the presence of moss. We suppose there are choices: learn to love the moss, after all moss doesn’t need to be cut, trimmed, poisoned or even fertilized, hate the moss and try to rid the property of moss, or simply put sell the home and move. However, most of us want to be rid of the moss!

Trying to remove moss from the property is something like trying to catch a pound of smoke. Just where does one start? Let’s take a look at the property. Is the property low and wet, shaded, and has a pH level on the low end of 5? If the former is true then your property is a prime area for moss. Can moss be found out in the open? Yes, but it is not likely. Mosses, like most everything else, have many varieties; there are over 15,000 species in the world. Moss does not have a vascular system or traditional roots but do have rhizoids.

Enough of the minutiae on moss! What do you do to rid the property of moss? First, get a soil test professionally done. Second, address the moisture issues. Third, reduce the amount of shade and fourth, add lime to the soil to increase the pH to create a soil type conducive to grass growth.

Sounds like more trouble than it is worth. To most of us, yes it is a lot of trouble. There is a much better method available. If you have a moss issue and want help: contact us at BOG Lawn care and we will come out to your property and do a free analysis of the situation and begin you on the way to a beautiful lawn.