Tree Injection in Tulsa

Bagworms

What you’ll see: small, cone-shaped bags, 1 to 2 inches long, hanging from branches like little ornaments. Each bag has a caterpillar inside, wrapped in silk and bits of your tree.

Trees they attack: cedars, junipers and arborvitae most of all, plus oaks and other trees.

Why it matters: bagworms can strip an evergreen bare. Evergreens regrow very slowly, so heavy feeding can kill branches or the whole tree, and the bags you see this year hold the eggs for next year’s infestation.

Best time to inject: spring, so the treatment is in the tree when the young caterpillars hatch and start feeding in late spring.

Bagworm photo above: Gerald J. Lenhard, Louiana State Univ, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 us (Wikimedia Commons)

1. We check the tree. We identify the insect, look at the tree’s overall health, and measure its diameter at chest height, about 4½ feet off the ground.
2. We drill a few small holes around the base of the trunk, spaced evenly around the tree.
3. We set an Arborplug in each hole. It’s a small plug, about ¾ inch, that works like a one-way valve.
4. We inject the treatment with our Arborjet INTELI-jet, a battery-powered injector that measures every dose and adjusts its pressure to how fast the tree takes up the treatment.
5. The tree does the rest. Its natural sap flow carries the treatment up the trunk and out to the branches and leaves.

We are licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry in ornamental and turf pest control. Some of these products can only be applied by a certified applicator. Every treatment is measured to your tree’s size and applied exactly as the label directs.

It’s a fair question. You’re drilling holes in a tree you’re trying to save.

The short answer: a few small, sealed injection sites in a healthy tree are far less harmful than the insects they stop.

• The holes are small and spread out, spaced around the base of the trunk instead of grouped in one spot.
• Each hole gets a plug. The Arborplug seals the hole during and after treatment, so nothing leaks out and nothing gets in.
• Trees heal themselves. Trees naturally wall off wounds, and in a healthy tree the injection sites close over with new bark within a few growing seasons.
• We don’t over-treat. Treatments last a season or longer, and we use fresh spots each time.
• We’ll be honest if a tree is too far gone. If most of a tree’s canopy is already dead, injection probably won’t save it, and we’ll tell you before you spend money.

• No drift. Nothing goes into the air, onto your kids, pets or garden, or over the fence.
• Reaches the whole tree. Tall trees are hard to spray all the way to the top. Injection reaches every leaf the sap does.
• Lasts longer. One injection protects a tree for a full season or more, so you’re not spraying again every few weeks.

Trees take up the treatment best when they’re actively growing and drawing water, so the timing makes a big difference in how well it works.

• Spring is the best time. Trees are leafing out and moving the most water, and the treatment is in place before bagworms, Japanese beetles and aphids show up.
• Fall is the next best time. It sets the tree up for the following season.
• Mild days give the best results, roughly 50–85°F, with moist soil.
• In the summer heat, we schedule injections in the cooler morning hours, when trees take up the treatment fastest.
• Water the tree well a day or two before your appointment during dry spells.

$10 per diameter inch, measured at chest height.

Not sure how big your tree is? Wrap a tape measure around the trunk at chest height and divide by 3.14. Or just call us, and we’ll measure it for free when we look at it.

Call or text 918-960-0777 for a free tree check

How much does tree injection cost in Tulsa?
$10 per diameter inch. A 15-inch tree costs $150.

When should I schedule?
Spring gives the best results. It puts the treatment in the tree before bagworms, Japanese beetles and aphids start feeding.

How fast does it work?
The tree spreads the treatment through its canopy over several days to a couple of weeks, depending on its size and the weather.

Will the holes hurt my tree?
A healthy tree seals off the small injection sites on its own. Each site is plugged, and we use fresh spots each time.

Do you treat fruit and nut trees?
We don’t inject fruit or nut trees whose harvest will be eaten, such as pecans, apples or peaches, because most tree injection products are labeled for ornamental trees only. Ornamental trees that don’t bear edible fruit, like flowering pears, crabapples and flowering cherries, can usually be treated.

Do you offer tree fertilization?
Not at this time. Our tree injection service is for insect problems.

Call or text 918-960-0777 for a free tree check