Birds: Sapsucker Damage on Trees (6606)

A type of woodpecker called the yellow-bellied sapsucker drills holes in the trunks of certain trees. It is a sparrow-sized bird with a red crown and throat, a dull yellow underside, and a mottled black and white body. Its distinguishing characteristics are its two horizontal white stripes across the face and throat, and a white stripe on each wing.

Unlike other woodpeckers, sapsuckers are not primarily interested in insects for food. Instead, they're looking for tree sap. They collect sap using their long brush-tipped tongue as the sap flows out of the holes they've drilled.

The holes sapsuckers drill are about one-eighth of an inch in diameter, and are evenly spaced up and down and around the trunk, appearing as if done by a machine. Don't confuse sapsucker holes with holes created by insect borers. Borer holes are rarely as numerous as sapsucker holes and are randomly spaced.

Yellow-bellied sapsuckers most often drill holes in white birch, sugar maple, red maple, Austrian pine, Scots pine, Canada hemlock, apple, ornamental crabapple, mountain ash and linden trees.

Sapsuckers are migratory birds. They are most visible and do most of their drilling on tree trunks during the migration seasons, in spring and fall. In where they spend the summer, sapsuckers work on trees throughout the warm season. They are not common during summer in southern Wisconsin, but will occasionally spend the winter in southern Wisconsin.

In most cases, sapsuckers do not seriously harm trees. The holes are shallow and the wounds do not cause significant or permanent damage. But sometimes a particular tree becomes a favorite feeding place for an individual sapsucker. In this case, large areas on the trunk may be dotted with many holes. When this happens, the tree may be weakened and become more sensitive to other problems, such as disease or drought. The wounds themselves may attract harmful insects.

To control sapsucker damage, wrap the area of the trunk where the bird is drilling with burlap or hardware cloth. Scare the bird away as often as possible when you discover it drilling. Sometimes placing an artificial owl or snake in the tree will temporarily frighten it away. Another option is to smear a sticky repellent such as "bird tanglefoot" on the trunk. Be careful with bird tanglefoot because other birds not responsible for the damage can get stuck in it.

If these control measures do not work and the level of damage is extreme, you may have to kill the bird. Both state and federal laws protect yellow-bellied sapsuckers and other woodpeckers. A control permit will be required to kill the bird.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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