What are those holes? Sapsuckers

Clients often ask us about small holes in the trunks of their trees and shrubs. Most often these are from a small bird called a sapsucker. These birds like to visit a wide variety of trees and shrubs during the winter months and create a series of small holes that are generally arranged in a horizontal line. Often times there will be liquid coming from newly created holes as trees moves sugars through their vascular system. Sapsuckers create these holes to get at the ‘sap’ and not at any insect or pest. The holes generally aren’t damaging on large trees, but heavy damage can be problematic for smaller trees (Japanese maples) or some shrubs (Chindo viburnum or holly).