SP290-C-Dogwood Borer, Infestation, Damage and Control

The flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is one of the most popular ornamental plants in Tennessee landscapes. Native trees also flourish in the forest understory.

The dogwood tree is damaged by the feeding activity of the dogwood borer larva under the bark of the trunk and limbs. In a single year, one borer can completely girdle and kill a tree 4 inches in diameter, but death is more often brought about by the combined activity of several larvae or by successive infestations with concurrent mechanical injury or pathological problems. Cultivated trees growing in full sun are usually more heavily infested than those growing in shaded or forested areas.