35 year old maple tree dying.

[its_kano]

HI All.
My mum has this Maple tree that has been part of our family 30+ years ago Dad planted it and it is a special tree for us as he is no longer with us today.
Recently my mum had it puned back rather hard by someone that was not well versed in the field.
Yes we are annoyed that this was done but what is done is done and now there is some sort of pest or grub that is eating which would appear to be all the bark. I have read up and tried to ID the culprit and found info on a 'gall moth'. I myself am not confident or sure what is killing this tree so if someone is familiar with this condition or could direct me to what actions are necessary to potentially save this tree would mean the world to me.
I will attach a picture hopefully it works.
Lastly the leaves on this maple are also showing brown withered edges.
I really hope it's not too advanced that it's not irreversible.
Thanks in advance. CHEERS!

[shibui]

Borers are eating the wood of the tree. That's called frass in the branches. It is basically grub poo. if you wipe it off you will find small holes in the wood. Inside each hole is a grub eating the wood.
Sometimes the grubs are not the cause of the tree's decline. They seem to target weak and dying trees but if you can get rid of them it will certainly give the tree a better chance.
Whether the tree can be saved depends where the borers have attacked. Sounds like some branches have already been ringbarked and will probably die. If the trunk is still OK the tree may recover after treatment but you should work out what is stressing this tree and try to give it conditions to bring it back to health to resist further attacks.

There are lots of different insects that bore into trees and i can't tell which particular sort this is but a systemic insecticide can be effective because it gets into the trees circulatory system and spreads right through the tree so any insect that eats any part of the tree will die. Imacloprid is one of those chemicals but has been implicated in death of bees so can be harder to find now.

A decent local nursery (not the green shed) should be able to offer advice and suitable chemicals if you tell them you have borers in a maple tree (show them photos to confirm)
A proper arborist should also be able to help you but they will charge for expert help. Pest controllers may also be able to assist though many just know rodents, termites and spiders so maybe ring a few to see if any can help.

[its_kano]

Thanks so Shibui
I will en-devour to search for the systemic insecticide you suggest along with further advice from an arborist. It is interesting you say bore as one of the gum trees further out the front was killed a year or so ago by them. I will post back on here if we are successful.
Thanks again!

[Phil Rabl]

If you haven't already done so, its probably worth trying one or several aerial layers.

[its_kano]

Yes Don't worry that's already going to happen haha