Oak Wilt Treatment

(512) 864-9898

We are the Local Certified Oak Wilt Specialists

It’s always best to have a professional diagnose your trees if you think you may have oak wilt. Contact the certified oak wilt specialist at Aabear Tree Care right away.

Oak wilt can be catastrophic very quickly to the tree showing symptoms and also the surrounding trees. Oak wilt often shows up on live oaks as brown veins on the leaves. However, for red oaks, the visible signs are often under the bark and harder to find. Call us today for a free estimate.

Oak Wilt is a Deadly Fungus!

It attacks an oak tree's vascular system impeding its ability to take in water.

Oak wilt spreads through root grafting and through sap feeding nitidulid beetles that carry the fungus spores to a fresh wound.

Root grafting occurs when roots from one tree come into contact and connect with roots from another tree sharing nutrients and diseases.

Did you know that roots on a live oak can grow up to 150ft beyond the drip line! This is the main reason for oak wilt’s aggressive spread in Central Texas.

All Oaks Are Susceptible

Red oaks and live oaks are the most susceptible to the disease.

Live oaks ONLY spread oak wilt through the roots. Live oaks DO NOT produce fungal mats. However, they can be infected by a beetle that has come from red oak with fungal mats.

When a red oak dies of oak wilt, it produces fungal mats under the bark that attracts the nitidulid beetle. The beetle gets covered in the spores from the fungal mat, travels to the fresh wound of oak, and inoculates that tree.

Oak wilt can be prevented by painting fresh wounds immediately. The paint simply blocks the odor that attracts the beetle.

The Texas Forestry Department recommends pruning between July 1st and February 1st due to the increased activity of beetle. * However pruning can still take place during these months if fresh wounds are painted immediately.

Once oak wilt is identified in an area the options are:

→ Removing dead and infected trees

→ Trenching - cutting the root grafts between infected and healthy trees

→ Injecting- A special fungicide is injected into the vascular system that kills oak wilt. Treat healthy trees within 100 ft of infected area. Infected trees can be treated if identified in the early stages.