How do I protect Yellow bellied Sapsuckers Sucking the life out of my Hemlock Tree - Ask Extension
An arborist from Bartlett Tree company had determined that my hemlock tree was damaged by Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers, showing an horizontal holes where...
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How do I protect Yellow bellied Sapsuckers Sucking the life out of my Hemlock Tree #890799
Asked December 14, 2024, 1:22 PM EST
An arborist from Bartlett Tree company had determined that my hemlock tree was damaged by Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers, showing an horizontal holes where the birds sucked the swet sap of the tree. The tree shows some dead branch up top. They have suggested that I cut the tree down. (My Tree close to 30 years old). I was not ready to cut the tree down.
My questions: How do I prevent for these bird coming to my tree next April for feeding. I am consider to use a bb-gun to shoot them; but want a more environmental kindness to this bird. Please advice.
Frederick County Maryland
Expert Response
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits the killing of migratory species; it also prohibits "harassment" of those species, but seems to specify during nesting season. To get clarification of the regulations around interfering with bird behavior, you can inquire with wildlife biologists at the MD Department of Natural Resources. An email can be sent to <personal data hidden> (especially if you want to share photos) or, if you would like to speak to someone, they have a Wildlife and Heritage Service phone number at<personal data hidden>. The phone line is staffed during regular business hours, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, except state holidays and weekends.
Despite the sometimes extensive drilling by Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers on certain tree species, they rarely cause significant tree decline or death. There is no reliable way to block access for the birds, though you could try a breathable trunk wrap (perhaps burlap or perforated, spiral-cut plastic) if the area being damaged is within reach. Putting up a fake predator, like one of the faux owls whose heads bobble in the breeze, might scare it off until it realizes that it's not a real threat. If forced away from a preferred tree, the bird may spread-out damage to several other trees in the area instead of focusing on only one tree. Hemlocks struggle in much of Maryland due to our summer heat, so compounding factors (like infestations of scale insects, woolly adelgids, or mites) may be contributing to any decline of an established tree, and this year's drought didn't help matters either unless the tree was diligently watered as needed.
Whatever the cause, if branch dieback occurs, try to prune that wood off, but otherwise there's not much you can do. Nothing will heal sapsucker injury other than the tree's own wound-closure mechanisms, which take time to grow, and no pesticide would be of use. Don't fertilize, as added nutrients might worsen a stressed tree's condition. All that can be done for now is to monitor the tree for watering needs and irrigate periodically when the weather stays dry.
Miri
Despite the sometimes extensive drilling by Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers on certain tree species, they rarely cause significant tree decline or death. There is no reliable way to block access for the birds, though you could try a breathable trunk wrap (perhaps burlap or perforated, spiral-cut plastic) if the area being damaged is within reach. Putting up a fake predator, like one of the faux owls whose heads bobble in the breeze, might scare it off until it realizes that it's not a real threat. If forced away from a preferred tree, the bird may spread-out damage to several other trees in the area instead of focusing on only one tree. Hemlocks struggle in much of Maryland due to our summer heat, so compounding factors (like infestations of scale insects, woolly adelgids, or mites) may be contributing to any decline of an established tree, and this year's drought didn't help matters either unless the tree was diligently watered as needed.
Whatever the cause, if branch dieback occurs, try to prune that wood off, but otherwise there's not much you can do. Nothing will heal sapsucker injury other than the tree's own wound-closure mechanisms, which take time to grow, and no pesticide would be of use. Don't fertilize, as added nutrients might worsen a stressed tree's condition. All that can be done for now is to monitor the tree for watering needs and irrigate periodically when the weather stays dry.
Miri
