Insect damage on Dunstan Chestnut trees

[TNlandowner]

I have 34 Dunstan Chestnut trees planted around the farm. I also have 5 Chinese Chestnut trees planted. All of these trees are already growing long healthy leaves and new limbs.

However, I noticed several trees have insect damage on the young tender leaves! I expect Japanese beetles in July, but what is feeding on these trees so early in the year? Oddly, I have over 30 fruit trees with no signs of insect activity. I haven't sprayed the fruit trees since last September.

How should I treat the Chestnut trees?

 

[TS_13]

I get a caterpillar on mine this time of year that will eat the crap out of the leaf. That might be what you have, its a single green worm, usually can find one under a curled up leaf.

Spray them, or if they are not too big, just pick them off.

 

[TNlandowner]

I'm spraying today... gotta kill them little buggers....

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

The deer are eating the leaves off of my one year old trees. Driving me nuts.

 

[TS_13]

Have to cage! I learned my lesson last year..... Evidently we had a good freeze up at the farm, all of my pear trees do not have pears, and my chestnuts have die back (frost kill). bummed....

 

[TNlandowner]

I had 2 of 40 chestnut trees without a cage or tree tube. Guess what I found yesterday while spraying the trees? Two deer damaged trees! I had some wire and caged one tree, need to go back and cage the other one today!

600+ freakin' acres of trees around my place, so which ones do the deer go after? The Chestnut trees that I'm trying to grow to produce a lot of mast in the years to come... LOL,

Always some challenge to entertain us as we work to improve habitat.

 

[TS_13]

YEP! agreed..... all of my farm and they find the few trees I plant for them!