Woodpecker Damage?

[Hunter65]

This tree is riddled with thousands of small holes, and I see they have now appeared on my oak tree. I suspect a downy woodpecker. Will this kill my trees? Do I need to take care of the woodpecker?

[Crankbait]

can you mount mirrors where the pecker perches ?

[vinny]

This is open to sooooo many jokes 😂😂

[Hunter65]

I suppose I can within reason, trees in pic are 20' high, 2 oaks are 30' or so. They do not like looking at themselves?

[Bellero]

Would the bird do this if they weren't some insects to feed on?

[threeforthree]

Bore beetle larve

[jhfong]

We have a horse chestnut tree on vancouver island, same thing, but the bird doing the holes is a red breasted sapsucker. Our trees are probably 80+ years old and in great health. In alberta theres a yellow bellied sapsucker that m8ght be doing it; male has a red crown (??) On the head. They are a type of woodpecker, climbs around the treestrunks like woodpecker. My wife is the birder in the family.

[Strix]

This does not look like woodpecker (or sapsucker) damage to me. I suspect it is some type of wood boring insect and the woodpecker is actually after the larvae. Email the pictures to someone like Greenland Nursery and they will give you their expert opinion.

[Talking moose]

Changed my mind after looking at some pictures on the net.

[Crankbait]

Originally Posted by Hunter65

This tree is riddled with thousands of small holes, and I see they have now appeared on my oak tree. I suspect a downy woodpecker. Will this kill my trees? Do I need to take care of the woodpecker?

didn't notice the pics when i first posted.
that is not from a woodpecker.

[ayman76]

That's from Formica rufa not a woodpecker my friend, unfortunately I want to tell you that the tree is fading out ( dying ) there is nothing that you can do at this stage, however if you have other trees close by this dying tree I encourage you to cut and burn the dying tree so the other trees won't get affected. But that's from Formica rufa ( special red wood ant ).


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[Supergrit]

Sap sucker made holes in lots of trees in my yard look the same.

[JareS]

Looks like an insect, not woodpecker damage.

Sapsuckers holes are more horizontal and verical, the picture looks too sporaric to be a woodpecker