Control is usually not warranted. For fungicide recommendations to control any of the diseases listed above, contact your local extension office. Unless dogwoods are protected from insect attack, they may be killed or seriously disfigured. The dogwood borer is probably the most common insect pest of established dogwood trees. The larvae of the borer enter the tree through openings in the bark and feed on the cambium layer of the tree.
Most attacks occur around basal wounds caused by lawn mowers and string trimmers.
The best prevention for this insect is to protect trees from wounds. The wilting leaves on individual twigs or the dropping of girdled tips usually indicates infestation by the black twig borer . The borer tunnels down the center of the twig, expelling boring dust through a row of small holes in the bark. The black twig borer usually does not infest trees in large numbers. To control the borer, prune out and destroy the infected twigs.