How do you identify oak galls?
Oak Apple Galls These are large (1- to 2-inch diameter) rounded growths that are filled with a spongy mass. A single wasp larva is located in a hard seed-like cell in the center. Galls are usually found on the petioles or midribs of leaves. They will dry to a brown, paper thin wall.
What do you do with oak galls?
Oak galls can be treated with an injection treatment proven highly effective in the control of oak gall wasps. The oak gall treatment kills off the wasps however, this process does take time as there are eggs within the tree not yet visible. It is recommended to repeat this treatment in 2 years.
What are the little fuzzy balls on oak leaves?
The fuzzy balls are galls formed by the tree leaf in response to the feeding of the larvae hatched from an egg deposited by a tiny gall wasp in the Family Cynipidae, Genus Andricus. Here are photos of Andricus quercusflocci galls that form on leaves of Quercus alba (white oak) and Quercus prinus (chestnut oak).
What do oak gall wasps look like?
Gall wasps are small, brown wasps with the abdomen flattened side to side. Many gall wasps develop for 2 or 3 years in woody galls on the twigs of oaks. Adults then emerge from the twig galls during the winter. They lay eggs in the buds and die.
What are the little balls on live oak trees?
Almost everyone who lives near oak trees has seen the small balls hanging in the tree branches, yet many still may ask: “What are oak galls?” Oak apple galls look like small, round fruit but they are actually plant deformities caused by oak apple gall wasps. The galls generally do not damage the oak tree host.
What are the fuzzy things that fall from oak trees?
These stringy brown tassels are called catkins or tassels. They are the male pollen structures produced by oak trees (Quercus spp.). They hang in the trees like tassels on the end of bike handlebars, releasing their pollen into the wind to fertilize the female flowers.
Why do oak trees have oak galls?
Galls on trees are caused by insects laying eggs inside or feeding on the branches of leaves of trees and other plants. This usually occurs in the spring. The galls, or tumor-like growths, are produced by the tree in response to chemicals injected into it by an adult or larval gall-making insect.
What is a fuzzy gall?
The fuzzy gall on oak leaves is a woolly oak leaf gall. They can be as large as three-fourths of an inch and are often bright pink or yellow, fading to brown in the fall. It is created by the cynipid wasp, also called a gallfly, and don’t sting humans. Most wasps, like bees, are actually solitary, non-stinging species.
How long do oaks drop catkins?
The oak tree pollen drop lasts about four days. It is this yellowish dust that is seen on car hoods and deck floors, and causes problems for people with seasonal allergies. Heavy rains and humid conditions may delay the release of pollen and affect the number of acorns produced on a single tree.
What are oak leaf galls?
A particular type of galls formed by the larvae of a number of insects of the nutworm family on young branches and leaves of oak. Autumn leaves oak yellow
How big do oak galls get?
Twig and stem galls, such as the gouty oak gall and horned oak gall, are solid, woody masses that can girdle branches or make them droop from the sheer weight of the heavy growths. The galls can grow to more than 2 inches in diameter.
Where can I find oak plum galls?
Oak Plum Galls can be difficult to spot in the canopies of red oaks, but are easily seen when they drop to the lawns below. Oak Plum Gall is also found on red oaks. These grape-sized galls are colored maroon and cream, and are easier spotted on the lawn as they begin to drop, than nestled in with the clusters of acorns in the trees.
What is an oak gall wasp?
Oak Galls — “Curiouser and curiouser!”. And, strangely enough, each species of wasp is associated with a specific species of oak tree. Oak Apple Gall is commonly found on both Texas red oaks and Shumard red oaks. Unlike the Mealy Oak Gall, this lime-sized gall looks to be fragile, with a thin, translucent outer cover.