Horse Chestnut Bugs - Learn About Common Conker Tree Pests

What diseases do horse chestnut trees get?

Bleeding canker

The current disease in horse-chestnuts is caused by a bacterium called Pseudomonas syringae pv aesculi. What damage does it do? To put it simply it clogs up the tree's veins. The most obvious symptom is weeping wounds from the trunk of the tree and rust-coloured stains on the bark.

What is eating my chestnut tree leaves?

Leaf blotch often appears in combination with horse chestnut leaf miner, a tiny moth. The moth caterpillars tunnel into the leaves to feed, usually in spring. ... Other common pests include Japanese beetles, which can quickly defoliate the tree, and tussock moth caterpillars, which also feed on the foliage.

What is killing horse chestnut trees?

While many of the horse chestnut trees are being weakened by various pests/pathogens - leaf mining moth, Guignardia leaf blotch, wood rotting fungi and horse chestnut scale insect - only the rapidly-spreading bleeding canker, a bacterial disease caused by the Gram negative Pseudomonas syringae pv aesculi, can kill ...

Are horse chestnut trees dying?

The horse chestnut is one of 168 tree species declared at risk of dying out in Europe in the red list of trees compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

What are the benefits of horse chestnut?

7 Health Benefits of Horse Chestnut Extract

May relieve symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency. ...
May treat varicose veins. ...
Has potent anti-inflammatory properties. ...
May relieve hemorrhoids. ...
Has antioxidant properties. ...
Contains cancer-fighting compounds. ...
May help with male infertility.

How do I get rid of horse chestnuts?

Dig with a shovel around the horse chestnut tree trunk, loosening up the soil and looking for roots as you go. Use larger equipment such as a backhoe if you're trying to remove a very large horse chestnut tree. Cut stubborn roots with the sharp, pointy tip of a shovel or a hand pruner.

How long can a horse chestnut tree live?

Horse chestnut trees can live for up to 300 years and, at their largest, can reach heights of 40 metres with 2 meter wide trunks.

Are horse chestnuts poisonous to humans?

One thing we need to understand is that chestnuts are sweet and they are edible but conkers or horse chestnuts are poisonous, and they are not for eating purposes. Horse chestnuts may look very desirable to eat but it is toxic, and it can even cause paralysis.

Can you eat horse chestnuts?

No, you cannot consume these nuts safely.

Toxic horse chestnuts cause serious gastrointestinal problems if consumed by humans.

Do squirrels eat horse chestnut?

Horse chestnut trees bud in the winter and are covered in a sticky residue. ... At this time squirrels will eat the ripe conkers but also bury others that may turn into future horse chestnut trees if buried before they dry out.

What does horse chestnut tree look like?

Its leaves have 5–7 pointed, toothed leaflets. Pinkish-white flowers bloom on the horse chestnut in May. Its bark is pinky-grey, turning darker and scaly with age. ... Its leaves have 5–7 pointed, toothed leaflets.

Why do horse chestnut trees go brown?

Leaf blotch is an infection of the leaves of horse chestnuts by the fungus Phyllosticta paviae (syn. Guignardia aesculi), which causes irregular brown blotches, often with yellow margins. You're most likely to see attacks in summer.

What are the side effects of horse chestnut?

Horse chestnut products can sometimes cause side effects such as dizziness, headache, nausea, stomach upset, itching, and calf spasms. Pollen from the horse chestnut flower can cause allergic reactions. Rectal (suppository) use of horse chestnut may cause inflammation and itching in the anal area.

Does horse chestnut affect blood pressure?

Horse chestnut extract appears to impair the action of platelets (important components of blood clotting). It also inhibits a range of chemicals in the blood, including cyclo-oxygenase, lipoxygenase and a range of prostaglandins and leukotrienes. These effects result in reduced inflammation and reduced blood pressure.

Is Horse Chestnut good for skin?

Aescin has been shown to inhibit hyaluronidase, an enzyme that can break down the hyaluronic acid found in skin. As skin uses this as a moisturizing component, a reduction in this enzyme can lead to an increase in skin hydration. Horse Chestnut Extract has soothing, anti-irritant and toning properties on the skin.

Should you prune chestnut trees?

Chestnut trees grow just fine without pruning – up to 48 inches (1.2 m.) per year – but that doesn't mean that cutting back chestnut trees is a waste of time. Chestnut tree pruning can keep a tree healthier, create a more attractive tree and increase nut production.

Can horse chestnut trees be pollarded?

Aesthetically, the tree is known for its large white flowers. These give way to conkers, large brown spine-covered nuts. Horse chestnuts do not send out shoots that require maintenance in the form of aggressive pruning. This means that trimming horse chestnut is just that, a light trimming.

Can you keep a horse chestnut tree small?

You do need a lot of space to grow your own conkers: a mature horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is a magnificent tree, with a height and spread of around 25m, so not one for a small garden (or even a medium-sized one).

Why are they called horse chestnuts?

When the tree was brought to Britain in 1616 from the Balkans, it was called horse chestnut because the Turks would feed the seeds to their ailing horses. The tree is chiefly grown nowadays for ornamental purposes, in towns and private gardens and in parks, and along streets.

How close to a house can you plant a horse chestnut tree?

Q. How Close Should a Horse Chestnut Be Safely Planted to a House. I am worried about foundations and roof when the tree is fully grown. You want to give it at least 40 feet of spacing from the house as this will be its potential spread when fully grown.

Can animals eat conkers?

Conkers can be mildly poisonous to many animals, causing sickness if eaten, although some animals can safely consume them, most notably deer and wild boar. ... “People think it's called the horse chestnut because people think horses like to eat the chestnuts, but it's not, because they can be poisonous.