Question

Live Oak   QUESTION: On my 7 year old LIVE OAK trees they have a small hole all the way around the bark this is in several place an on several limbs(looks like a wood pecker did it) but, neighbors say it is a type of wood bore, I used Dragnet on it last year an it seemed to help but, they are back again.

ANSWER: These holes are caused by a woodpecker called a sap sucker. the bird makes the holes and the tree exudes sap into the holes--insects come and feed on the sap and the birds return to feed on the insects. They will not kill the tree. To discourage sapsuckers from feeding on shade trees, wrap hardware cloth or burlap around the trunk or smear a sticky repellent material, such as bird tanglefoot, on the bark. You can find these materials at a local nursery.


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Hull   QUESTION: They are not getting the leaves like normal, also I am sending another pic of some kind of hull looking thing that looks like a acorn but is attached on the limbs, I have broke them open and did not find anything in the ones I did.

Answer
These are insect galls. A tiny insect called a gall wasp lays its eggs on the twig and secretes a chemical that will cause the twig to grow over the egg making the gall. The insect hatches from the gall. They do not harm the tree and their population will vary greatly from year to year. Some year there will be many galls other years none can be found. Nothing really to worry about.