Why Does My Apricot Tree Have Big Sap Clumps?

Apricot trees adapt to most soil types and need pollen from other trees to reproduce. Like all trees, they are susceptible to disease and insect infestations. One insect, the peachtree borer, will cause the tree to exude masses of gum (sap).

Identification

The peachtree borer is a day moth whose larvae burrow into trees. The female peachtree borer is larger than the male and both are blue. The larvae grow to about 1.5 inches long and are white with brown heads.

Features

A mass of sap that contains sawdust, wood chips and excrement from the larvae will ooze out of the trunk base approximately 3 inches below to 1 foot above the soil surface on trees that are being attacked by borers.

Significance

The peachtree borer can damage the trunk and membranes that conduct nutrients and water from the roots to the leaves, causing death in young trees. Older trees usually survive the damage unless attacked several years in a row.

Management

If you see signs of peachtree borer activity in the fall, kill the larvae by using a knife or wire to probe the trunk. In the spring, treat infested trees by applying insecticide to the trunk.

Hosts

The peachtree borers can be found in peach, cherry, plum, apricot and nectarine fruit trees.

References

• University of California
• University of Missouri Extension
• University of Rhode Island

Resources

• Peachtree Borer
• Apricot--The Versatile Fruit