There's a pencil-sized hole in my oak tree and I saw reddish-brown bugs crawling out.?

Question

What are they and what can I do about them?

Answer 1

i'm not sure what they are called, but dietonatous earth usualy gets rid of most bugs, spinkle it on the tree and around the base of the tree. its like walking on glass to them but its safe for humans and animals. I think you may want to find a way to cover the hole, to keep the woodpeckers and disease out of the tree.

Answer 2

Those might be "oak ambrosia beetles" (Monarthrum scutellare) or "bark beetles" (Pseudopityophthorus pubipennis), either of which is bad news, because they have been known to introduce an infectious fungal disease that can lead to Sudden Oak Death, which unfortunately was first discovered here in my home state of California, but is no longer limited to California.

The fungal pathogen is called Phytophthora, and it kills the oak trees basically by clogging up the trees' circulatory system. One of the common ways it infects oaks is when the beetles bore into the bark to lay their eggs. Initially you might see what looks like sawdust falling from the holes; later you'll notice the oak tree is "bleeding" a fluid from the holes.

The whole Sudden Oak Death issue is very complex; what I've said is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. :( Unfortunately, it's often fatal, although some trees do survive with a lot of assistance.

The bugs might NOT be ambrosia beetles or bark beetles at all -- hopefully they're not! Without seeing them, however, I have no clue. If you can take a good close-up (macro) shot of them, feel free to email me and I'll see if I can get them I.D.'ed for you. Alternately, you can simply do a Google search for "sudden oak death" and you'll find a ton of web pages; on some of those pages I'm sure you'll find photos of the beetles.

Answer 3

I bet a little monkey tried to stick a spear in there to get those critters out...wait out for the monkey to return...he'll get em out. No seriously, those could very well be termites. You dont want to hurt your oak...I would look for a better way to deal with your problem that also involves keeping your oak tree safe.

Answer 4

Turn the pencil around and rub them out.