Question
I live on Long Island (NY) and purchased a Blue Spruce 16 years ago as a sapling. This past week I noticed holes on the trunk. The holes are small and slightly oval in shape and All are of the same size and shape. The pattern is horizontal, going around the truck. I picked off some bark but did not see any bugs/worms or tunneling of any kind. At the base of the tree however is a hole large enough where I can insert my finger, again I don't see any bugs/insects. Could it be a woodpecker??? If so, will it kill my tree? If not, what is happening? My Landscaper is clueless. Any help, info and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanking you in advance.

Denise

Answer
Sounds like sapsuckers wood peckers
Most woodpeckers rely on insects and tree sap as their primary sources of food. Many woodpeckers feed almost entirely on insects, finding a majority of them beneath the bark on dead tree limbs and in other situations where their feeding is considered beneficial. However, the yellow-bellied sapsucker relies on the sap of trees for over half of its food, with the balance of its diet consisting of insects, berries, and fruits.
The damage consists of rows of neatly spaced horizontal or vertical holes in tree trunks and branches. Rarely does the woodpecker kill a tree.
Trees with thick bark (oak. spruce) are damaged little. Where as trees with thin bark (maple) can be damaged a great deal by the holes.
The sapsucker makes the holes and the tree produces a drop of sap in the hole--insects come to feed on the sap and the woodpecker returns to feed on the insects. There is not need to fill the holes-the tree will heal over these by themselves. To stop insects from coming and thus discourage the woodpecker from feeding I would spray the area with a insecticide. Something like malathion or sevin will kill the insects and the woodpeckers will leave.
Doing nothing is ok too since the trees health is not going to be damage.