If you have an oak tree in your garden then you must have at some point noticed a cotton ball like material with pink spots and it is also possible that you have clusters of this cotton ball like material spread all over your oak tree. What this simply is is a gall which in some cases tends to appear on the twig of oak trees or on the leaves as well as other oaks that can be found in a landscape. Most people do not know much about wool sower galls and how to deal with them and that is why we are bringing you this article today to tell you more about wool sower galls.
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What Are Wool Sower Galls
Wool sower galls are not easily noticed as they might take up to two years or more to even develop and the truth is these wool sower galls and other abnormal growth is a thing of worry for most gardeners and home owners. Generally, wool sower galls do not damage trees like we all think but in some cases, it might cause leaves to fall down or turn brown. They can also be called oak seed galls as they are also considered to be a protective covering for cynipid gall wasp.
The only time a gardeners or home owner would consider a wool sower gall as a pest is when he isn’t pleased with the materials they might have left on your oak tree but the truth is they do not damage, sting or even bite trees. These wasps have several varieties and even they do not cause any harm, they also offer no benefits. You would find about eighty percent of the wool sower galls species on oak trees and you can also end up finding them on aster, willow and rose plants.
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The cynipid gall wasp proves to be the most prolific even though lots of insects are capable of leaving galls on various plants. These insects are believed to be the largest gall producers in the Northern American region. Harmless and tiny cynipid gall wasp only needs to find the right twig or leaf where it can deposit its materials and after laying eggs which turns into grubs, they end up secreting chemicals that helps in the activation of of growth from their host. The emerging wool sower galls do not cause any damage but they protect against insecticides and provide nutrition too.
Wool Sower Galls And How To Deal With Them
Since no form of harm comes to the oak tree a wool sower gall is found on then there is really no need for any treatment to be applied and this is because the treatment would not be effective since the wool sower galls are already protected. Going ahead to apply insecticide sprays would only end up killing beneficial insects in your garden instead of killing the wasp. If it appears that there is an infestation on the oak tree then all you should do is pick out and get rid of leaves that are already infected.
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