Q: We have three large bald cypress trees. This year we noticed hundreds of white, dime-sized galls on the very ends of the limbs. Please don’t tell us we have to get out the chain saw!

A: The galls are actually nothing to worry about. The white swollen tissue is caused by an insect called the cypress gall midge. The female midge lays her eggs in the tip of a branch and the tree cells there enlarge to encapsulate the eggs. They will hatch next year from the galls, which fall to the ground in November. If the galls are objectionable you can prune them off and discard them.

MORE INFORMATION

Cypress Gall Midge

Gall-Making Insects

bald cypress galls