In this WTOP News article, Lou Meyer from Davey's Mid-Atlantic region talks about how droughts can make trees more susceptible to pests and damage. 

Posted: June 09, 2025

It’s almost summer, and for some bugs and pests, it’s the time they start gnawing on your trees.

The D.C. area had very little rain — to the point of a drought — and Lou Meyer, an arborist with the mid-Atlantic-based Davey Tree, says that’s not exactly healthy weather for trees.

“When (trees) are stressed out, they’re more susceptible to damage from forestry pests and diseases, because they have health systems, like we do,” Meyer said.

One of the biggest threats is the emerald ash borer, a small green beetle that lays eggs and feeds on the bark of ash trees. So how can you spot them on your trees?

“What you’re looking for with those, if you have an ash tree, are small, D-shaped exit wounds. And by small, I mean like a quarter of an inch at the most across, and it looks like a half circle or a D shape, and that’s where the larva are emerging from the tree,” Meyer said.

To continue reading this article, click here. 

The Davey Tree Expert Company, headquartered in Kent, Ohio, provides research-driven tree services, grounds maintenance and environmental and utility infrastructure consulting for residential, utility, commercial and environmental partners in the U.S. and Canada. As one of the top ten largest employee-owned companies in the U.S., Davey's 12,000 employees have been dedicated to creating and delivering sustainable solutions since 1880. Apply today to join the Davey legacy, and learn about how we're growing with our new SEED Campus

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