Pine tree with weeping sap spots

Question: I have multiple varieties of pines and many have ‘sores’ where sap is bubbling out and dripping. They were treated by an arborist on 7/17 for pitch mass boring insects with some sort of trunk wash. It still appears some spots are active and look like attached. I pulled a sticky bit off this spot before taking picture. The arborist assures me his treatment is working and this will dry up and harden. I’m not so sure. Thoughts?

responder: Lindsey K. Kerr, MS, MHP (she, her, hers)  Replied September 09, 2024, 10:35 AM EDT
response: Do you have an extensive infestation of your conifers that the arborist felt needed to be treated? Typically, pitch mass borer does not negatively effect the overall health of a pine tree. However, as with most things "it depends"--on overall health of the tree, if another disease moves in, etc.  It might be that your arborist applied treatment too late in the season. Here is a link to a question similar to yours from a couple years ago. " Pitch mass borers are more difficult to control, but injection of emamectin benzoate should provide protection for 2 - 3 years. There is generally only one larva in each pitch mass, so it is possible to dig through the mass and locate the larva, if there are only a few masses and the are within safe reach. It typically takes a tree 2 - 3 weeks to take up an insecticide administered by injection. Make sure there is adequate soil moisture to ensure uptake. You don't want the soil saturated, but it has to be moist for the tree to take up the product. There are several different pitch mass borers each with their own lifecycle. Because we don't know which one(s) you have, it is not possible to know whether it is too late to apply the insecticide. It is definitely too late to apply a preventative trunk spray, but the systemic insecticide will spread throughout the tree tissue that the larvae are feeding on, and kill any that are still actively feeding. It will also protect the tree for 2 - 3 years. Please note that pitch mass borers tend to attack trees that are already stressed. To best help your trees, take measures to reduce stress as possible. Consider applying 2-3 inches of mulch, such as pine needles or wood chips, under the tree starting several inches out from the trunk and extending to the drip line. Mulch will help conserve moisture during dry conditions and reduce temperature swings in the soil. If possible, irrigate deeply (1 inch of water) once per week during prolonged hot, dry conditions—but do not overwater, as this will also stress the tree. You might also consider applying a low rate of nitrogen fertilizer (1 lb N per 1,000 sq ft) under the tree canopy, or spread evenly around the drip line of the tree. Fertilizer should be watered in, or spread before rain is expected. You could consider getting a soil test, which would let you know the soil pH and whether there are any nutrients lacking: https://homesoiltest.msu.edu/" According to the University of Massachusetts Amherst "Pitch can be removed and the single larva within destroyed. Physical/mechanical management of this insect, if it can be safely done, is a great way to manage the pitch mass borer on individual specimen trees. The act of just pulling the caterpillar from its pitch mass will kill it." You might try this technique on any masses of pitch you can reach. If you can find active borers in the pitch, you know the treatment did not work. (It may be that the tree is still "bleeding" from the damage borers and needs time to close off the wounds.) I'm not sure if this video link will work for you, but it shows what the larva looks like and how easy it can be to find it (it's not always this easy--sometimes you need to poke around in the tree with something like a coat hanger wire).  It is suggested that pruning conifers during the warmer months attracts pitch mass borer moths to your trees, so make sure you only prune in dormant months.

responder: The Question Asker Replied September 10, 2024, 8:22 AM EDT
response: thanks for quick response.  I do have quite a few pines affected by this strange bleeding of sap.  Most of my pines are under stress most likely due to changing weather conditions.  I have 4 Colorado blue spruce, one norway pines, one white or red pine and another pine i'm not sure of.  the norway is in the worst shape with lots of bare branches and I sent a prior sample to msu.  results were some spruce spider mites and Eastern spruce gall adelgid but they said most of the problems appeared to be weather related.  The blue spruce are having some sort of needle cast the arborist said.  At least 4 of the trees have these spots leaking down their sides.  I sent previous pictures to MSU of these spots and was told it could be zimmerman pine moth or pitch mass boring insects.  I don't really know how to tell the difference but the arborist was treating for the Pitch mass insects and says he's confident the trees have been well treated. I'm sure I disconvered this new spot I sent you the pic of.   I also sent in a soil sample last year and was pretty low on potassium, needed some nitrogen and possibly sulfer so I had the arborist do deep root feeding to all the trees last fall , Oct 31. In the spring the trees were treated as follows:   We performed the following: Insect & Disease Spring Spray -  (view invoice)  (view detailed report) Technician: Hunter Cook  - Temperature: 61°  - Wind Speed: 4 NW Today, your plants received an active and preventative insect and disease treatment. Multiple treatments are needed each season to prevent infestation and pest resistance. Products Used:  6.00 Fluid Oz - Chlorothalonil 720 SFT  9.00 Fluid Oz - Imidacloprid 2F Insecticide  1.20 Fluid Oz - Nufilm Sticker-Spreader  3.00 Fluid Oz - Tebuconazole 3.6F   treatments began on 4/30 and again on 5/22, 6/7, 7/17.   all my trees were treated including the two canadian hemlocks which I had sent pictures and questions on last year to MSU and they thought the trees might have fabrella needle blight. I'm hoping I've not been throwing money away but I have many full grown in the yard and would hate to start losing them.  I'm still getting some yellowing on the hemlocks.   Its been hard finding an arborist and I had 3 come out early last year, each giving me different recommendations for treatment!  that's when I sent the info off to MSU and forwarded your reports to the arborist I ended up choosing.   I have a bag of 13-13-13 granular fertilizer.  Should I go ahead and put it under the trees again this year after frost?  I will also get more potash to toss down - can I also do that after frost? many thanks, Nancy             From: ask=<personal data hidden> on behalf of Ask Extension  Sent: Monday, September 9, 2024 10:35 AM To: Nancy E Vogrin  Subject: Re: Pine tree with weeping sap spots (#0154415)

responder: Lindsey K. Kerr, MS, MHP (she, her, hers)  Replied September 10, 2024, 4:18 PM EDT
response: Hi Nancy, I am not a tree expert by any means, so I am going to re-assign your question to someone with more expertise. He is busy, but he should get back to you soon. Of note is that many of your conifers are not native to SE Michigan. They are stressed by the different climate and soils from where they evolved and it makes them more susceptible to diseases and pests. We are losing Colorado blue spruces across SE Michigan. As you drive, look at the trees in people's yards. You will see that spruces are on decline.  I suspect that your trees will decline and ultimately succumb to these disease pressures. It is up to you whether you want to keep treating them and get a few additional years out of them. I would suggest looking at planting replacement trees now, so that when these conifers come down, you have trees ready to take their place (I would not recommend replacing them with conifers, since they are not doing well now).

responder: Thank you for contacting Ask Extension!  Replied September 15, 2024, 2:37 PM EDT
response: Hi Nancy, It sounds like your arborist is trying hard to find solutions. The list of chemicals applied includes two fungicides and one insecticide. Unfortunately, the insecticide, Imidacloprid, is not effective against the larval stages of moths, including Zimmerman pine moth and pitch mass borers. It is unlikely to have the desired effect. As noted previously, these insects do not generally harm the tree, though they may if numbers are large enough.  To my knowledge, tebuconazole is not labeled for needlecast and I am unclear why they applied it, unless there is something else they are trying to treat. Chlorothalonil is the appropriate product for needlecast, and should be applied when needles are half expanded, and again 3 - 4 weeks later when needles are fully expanded, for blue spruce. I did not check needle expansion for the dates listed, but I would guess the chlorothalonil timing was reasonable. The appropriate time to apply fertilizer is in the spring around the time the trees begin to resume growth. Organic fertilizers are applied in the fall, because they take several months to break down into a form plants can take up. Regular (inorganic) fertilizers like your 13-13-13 are readily available to plants as soon as they are watered in. Fall application results in loss of much of the fertilizer over the winter. Take care!

responder: The Question Asker Replied September 15, 2024, 5:49 PM EDT
response: Thank you very much! any thoughts on the hemlocks with possible fabrella needle blight? I am attaching a couple of pictures but can send samples, if necessary.  Continue to have some yellowing and then tips turn brown.  There is a fair amount of needle loss.  See no webbing.   Would anything applied have helped rid the hemlocks of the issue, if that's what it is? Thanks! Nancy     From: ask=<personal data hidden> on behalf of Ask Extension  Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2024 2:37 PM To: Nancy E Vogrin  Subject: Re: Pine tree with weeping sap spots (#0154415)

responder: Thank you for contacting Ask Extension!  Replied September 15, 2024, 5:58 PM EDT
response: Can you upload a few closeup photos of the underside of the hemlock needles? Photo 1: underside of healthy, green needles. Photo 2: Underside of yellow needles. Photo 3: Underside of needles in transitional area showing both healthy, green needles and some just beginning to yellow.

responder: The Question Asker Replied September 15, 2024, 6:29 PM EDT
response: First shot is healthier branch, second is transitioning (yellowing) third and fourth are needles ready to drop.   I also should have said they did a tree wash consisting of 112.00 Fluid Oz - Zylam in May.   I also assumed that the multiple tree sprays were the same product but one time they used the following:  1.80 Fluid Oz - Abamectin 0.15 EC  9.60 Fluid Oz - Bifenthrin I/I 7.9 F Insecticide  6.00 Fluid Oz - Chlorothalonil 720 SFT  1.80 1000 Sq. Feet - Spreader Sticker  4.80 Oz - Nufarm T-Methyl SPC 50 WSB Fungicide        From: ask=<personal data hidden> on behalf of Ask Extension  Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2024 5:58 PM To: Nancy E Vogrin  Subject: Re: Pine tree with weeping sap spots (#0154415)

responder: Thank you for contacting Ask Extension!  Replied September 15, 2024, 6:57 PM EDT
response: I don't see any signs of fungal or rust diseases in the hemlock samples. It does look like you might have mites or some other arthropod pest. Abamectin is a miticide, probably for the hemlocks. Bifenthrin is a synthetic pyrethroid that is effective against both Zimmerman pine moth and pitch mass borers, when applied as a defensive shield prior to the larva tunneling under the bark. It will not kill the larva that are already in the tree, but will prevent new attacks. Assuming their timing was good, it seems like this company is particularly aggressive in getting your issues under control.

responder: The Question Asker Replied September 15, 2024, 10:55 PM EDT
response: Thank you!    Get Outlook for iOS  From: ask=<personal data hidden> on behalf of Ask Extension  Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2024 6:57:19 PM To: Nancy E Vogrin  Subject: Re: Pine tree with weeping sap spots (#0154415)

responder: Thank you for contacting Ask Extension!  Replied September 16, 2024, 9:04 AM EDT
response: Happy to help! I wish you all the best with your trees!