Tree banding process. Still shot courtesy of City of Regina Facebook page.
September is not only the month of autumn, it’s also the best month to start banding elm, maple, and fruit trees on your property. The City of Regina is reminding people that fall and spring banding can help prevent cankerworms from laying eggs and seriously damaging trees.
Not only is tree banding important for controlling cankerworm numbers, it’s a relatively easy task to do. To band a tree, the City of Regina recommends purchasing fibreglass insulation about 15 to 20 centimeters wide. Wrap the fibreglass around the tree about 2 meters up from the base then cover the insulation with black plastic (or a black garbgae bag). Once the plastic has been secured around the tree with Duct Tape, find a sticky substance to spread over the plastic. Sticky substances can include Tanglefoot insect barrier, axel greese, or Stick-Em Glue Trap.
The City of Regina says it’s important to reapply the sticky substance occasionally so that the tree band remains effective in the battle against cankerworms. Bands can stay on trees throughout fall, winter, and spring, but should be removed by the end of May or beginning of June.
In addition to tree banding, the City also sprays trees each June to help fight cankerworms. This past summer saw over four thousand trees sprayed with BTK, a harmless product for pets, humans, and wildlife, but deadly for cankerworms.
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