Q: On your radio show I heard you describe what the Asian ambrosia beetle does to ornamental trees. I have the ‘toothpicks’ sticking out of my ‘Kwanzan’ cherry tree. I heard you tell a listener who had the beetles in a crapemyrtle to cut the tree down to the ground and let it re-grow from the stump. Will this also work for my cherry tree?

A: Unfortunately, the story for cherry trees is not so hopeful as with crapemyrtle. They do not re-sprout as readily as crapemyrtles do. I will, however, repeat my bottom-line advice to the caller: the portion of the tree above the ambrosia beetle infestation will ultimately die. The fungus that the beetle introduces is fatal to the tree. As with southern pine beetle, the best route to protect other susceptible trees is to remove the infested trees completely.
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