Madison Park

Interesting Story about Tree Bands on WCNC

Posted in: Madison Park

marty5223 Mentor Charlotte, NC 9610 Posts	Time to remove tree bands in Charlotte WCNC 5:59 p.m. EDT March 17, 2015 Tree band(Photo: WCNC) CONNECT 1 TWEET LINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Experts say now is the time to remove tree bands from oak trees, and the emergence of a very hungry beetle is the reason why. Those bands prevent cankerworms from climbing trees and eating to their heart's content. Experts say at this time of year, those bands have already done their job and if left up, they will prevent the fiery searcher beetle from climbing the trees and eating the cankerworms. "This beetle is capable of eating five caterpillars per hour, so if you even have one beetle up your tree, that beetle is probably capable of eating as much as 100 caterpillars in one single night," said Donald Booth, Ph.D, withe the Bartlett Tree Research Laboratory. Six thousand bands around city trees have already been removed. March 17th 2015 Report Reply
marty5223 Mentor Charlotte, NC 9610 Posts	If this is true might be worth removing the bands before Silverduck makes it around to remove them. Removal is a free step anyway. March 17th 2015 Report Reply
marty5223 Mentor Charlotte, NC 9610 Posts	Silver Duck just sent the following message to me when I inquired about the article. Hi Marty We sent the following email out today to our customers. Not sure why you didn't receive it. Dear Customer We want to address the article in the Charlotte Observer today with regards to removing your tree bands. The City of Charlotte requested that we remove their tree bands to assist a beetle known as the Fiery Searcher Beetle. This beetle can eat upwards of up to 150 cankerworms per day, and is a great natural predator against the Cankerworm. We have documented this beetle in years past with it's pinchers full of worms. We have also noted that due to its rather large size, and powerful legs, tree bands simply can't stop the majority of this insect. It is also important to note that this beetle does NOT CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE TREE TO FEED! It grabs its pray from the trunk and ground, not the branches. After meeting with the City of Charlotte this morning, it is agreed that it is premature to remove the bands at this time, as they are effective at trapping the actual worms that do hatch, drop down, and then attempt to climb back up the tree to feed again. A Cankerworm can feed, drop down, climb back up, and feed again 5-6 times before it reaches it's maximum size. We have attached some pictures so that you can see our tree bands with both the wingless females trapped in them, along with the worms that have hatched, fed, and are attempting to feed again. We are also contracted with the City of Rock Hill, Town of Matthews, and the Virginia Dept. of Forestry, all of whom have recommended that we remove their bands starting in the month of April, just as we always have. Our residential removal process will begin promptly on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 and continue through the month. We regret any confusion caused by the article(s) in the Observer, and thank you for your continued patronage and trust. Respectfully, Billy & Samantha De Rosa SilverDuck Tree Banding Services LLC 704-779-6476 www.treebanding.com treebanding@hotmail.com March 17th 2015 Report Reply
marty5223 Mentor Charlotte, NC 9610 Posts	IF you decide you don't want to wait for Silver Duck they come off real easy. I went ahead and yanked mine before they sent this e-mail above, and it took all of 10 minutes to do 3 large trees. Plastic just cuts off. There is a thin band of insulation that has some staples. That came off easily and then I just pulled the staples. Tanglefoot is a bit messy if it gets on your hands. Cleans up easily with some nail polish remover, and just soap and water. March 18th 2015 Report Reply

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Charlotte, North Carolina