shredded balsam trees as mulch/ spruce bud worm - Ask Extension
Have cut/shredded balsam fir trees at my north Minnesota home earlier this year.; many showed disease of spruce bud worm before cutting.
Is it unwis...
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shredded balsam trees as mulch/ spruce bud worm #753687
Asked June 03, 2021, 9:12 AM EDT
Have cut/shredded balsam fir trees at my north Minnesota home earlier this year.; many showed disease of spruce bud worm before cutting.
Is it unwise to use the mulch around young conifers ( tamarack and spruce ) ?
Is there an insecticide safe to place on the mulch that will mitigate risk of spreading spruce bud worm infection?
St. Louis County Minnesota
Expert Response
While I can find no technical articles that address your question regarding mulch, given the life cycle of this pest, it would be best not to use this as mulch until after the moths have emerged in late July.
Technically the larvae feed on new growth rather than old growth. But I would not take a chance on transferring foliage eating larvae to new trees even though the budworms may already be present if the trees are nearby.
1.
https://extension.umn.edu/forest-pests-and-diseases/eastern-spruce-budworm
2. https://mlep.org/documents/sprucebudwormfaq.pdf
Mary,Thank you .
From my limited research,I had much the same impression but great uncertainty.
Seems to me this would be a worthwhile thesis research project for a forestry grad student.
There surely will be lots of balsam mulch as time goes on.
Dave
