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Fort Collins Tree Care Fort Collins Tree Care
Click for a FREE estimate
or call (970) 484-3084
Dedicated to Tree Preservation in the Urban Forest
Fort Collins Tree Care Fort Collins Tree Care
Click for a free Estimate or call (970) 484-3084
Dedicated to Tree Preservation in the Urban Forest
Fort Collins Tree Care
or call (970) 484-3084

Damage caused by elm leaf beetles

Elm leaf beetles are serious pests of all elm trees. The adults eat small circular holes in the leaves. The larvae skeletonize leaves, eating the underside of the leaf while leaving the veins and upper surface. Heavy infestations will cause the leaves to brown, dry out and fall prematurely. The elm leaf beetle doesn't usually kill the elm tree, but it stresses the tree making it more susceptible to other pests, diseases and wind injury, and causes it to look unsightly. Sometimes elm leaf beetles become pests when they move into homes to overwinter.

Elm Leaf Beetle Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org

How to identify elm leaf beetles

The adult elm leaf beetle is 1/4" long, yellow or green color, and has a spot on the head, and dark stripes on the outer edge of the front wings. The larvae is about 1/2" long and usually black and yellow with rows of dots on the back an sides. The elm leaf beetle pupua are about 1/5" long and yellow-orange with black bristles. The eggs are yellow, laid in clusters on undersides of elm leaves

Elm Leaf Beetle larvae Gyorgy Csoka, Hungary Forest Research Institute, Bugwood.org

Life cycle of the elm leaf beetle

Adult beetles overwinter in protected areas under debris, sometimes moving into buildings and homes. In the spring they become more active and move to the elm trees. When elm leaves appear they eat the leaves and mate. The female elm leaf beetle lays up to 800 eggs in small yellow football shaped masses during her lifetime. The grubs eat the underside of leaves for about 3 weeks, then pupate, usually at the base of an elm tree or in a crack in the bark. Adult elm leaf beetles emerge from the pupae after a couple weeks. The elm leaf beetle may have 2 or 3 generations in a single summer depending on the climate. In the fall the elm leaf beetles stop laying eggs and find a protected place to overwinter.

Elm leaf beetle egg cluster Gyorgy Csoka, Hungary Forest Research Institute, Bugwood.org

How to control the elm leaf beetles

Elm Leaf beetle is easily controlled. Depending on the size and location of the Elm, many different controls including soil injections with systemic insecticides and trunk banding may be used.

Elm leaf beetle larvae Whitney Cranshaw - Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

 
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6500 NE Frontage Road
Wellington, CO 80549
(970) 484-3084
Fort Collins Tree Care Inc.
301 E. Douglas Road
Fort Collins, CO 80524
(970) 484-3084
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