As the seed germinates, it grows into the bark and tissue of the host tree. The parasite produces root-like structures called sinkers that take water and nutrients from the host. Tree death occurs slowly as it is robbed of essential water and nutrients year after year. Look for yellow foliage and branch mortality in the upper portion of a tree. The parasite is identifiable when its yellow to green to brownish-green segmented shoots protrude from the infected part of a tree.
Shoots form two to three years after infection.
As a tree dies, it will suffer growth reduction, loss of wood quality, poor tree form, predisposition to insect and disease problems, and reduction in seed Crops. The best management strategy is to prune out infected branches. If possible, completely remove severely infected trees. If they aren't removed, trees with high, unreachable mistletoe infections will continue to shower seeds on nearby trees. Thirty percent to 40 percent of the branches from the top down should be retained during pruning, even if it means leaving some infected branches.