Whats your biggest bonsai enemy?

fredman

Masterpiece
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Mine is cicadas. Damn they are almost apon me. Every year high summer they burrow up from beneath and swarm everything. Some years they are uncontrollable. This year I'm waiting in cold fear. Hope their hatching is as mild as last year. After mating they seek out finger thick branches to lay their eggs in. They physically penetrate the wood and lay their eggs inside the branch. When it hatches the branches bursts open and leave scars up to 3 inches long...TERRIBLE. Don't heal over easy either. I think there is some chemical reaction that prohibits the tree from covering it. On the big trees in the ground when it does eventually cover it leaves a nasty swelling.
A bonsai tree is usually in their sights as well. Man i'm permanently on patrol when these pests are around. I love nature and believe there is a place for everything, but these pests just don't fit in anywhere for me.. I know they're part of the food chain, but there is almost nothing here that feeds on them, yet they're in over abundance....:confused: I cant see what the hell their purpose is .... :mad::mad::mad:
Another is the boring beetle. Hate that shocking, heart stopping, cold feeling when i see a pile of wood shavings underneath a tree.....:eek: Actually it fascinates me to, how they mostly only target trees under stress. Fascinating because the tree sends out stress signals for the beetle to react to...(Yeah trees do talk ;)) like on a layer that has been taken off and staggering on its new roots. Just found one this week. Pumped the hole full of wood glue :eek: no more wood shavings... :D
Yamadoris with to little fine rooting is another potential customer in waiting....!!!
 
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Mike MoMo

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Time is a great cure for impatience. Been learning that the Hard Way for a while now.
 

PaulH

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Damn little birds, thrashers or towhees, that dig the soil oot of my pots every summer.
 
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