Living with trees

Trees provide habitat for a variety of species of insects.

Some tree species such as sycamore and horse chestnut can have infestation with insects such as Aphids creating honey dew / Sap causing a short term nuisance over part of the year. We would not normally prune or remove a tree for this reason.

There may be reasons why we have to remove trees due to certain pests. For example, if they are a carrier of a notifiable disease or are an invasive species and may cause a risk to residents' health, such as the Oak Processionary Moth.

The Arboricultural Association can offer advice on how to manage and look out for certain pest species.

You can encourage natural predators for these pests with wildlife friendly gardening. For advice see, RHS: aphids.