Tree Pests to Watch for Around Asheboro, NC

Emerald Ash Borer Is Already in Randolph County

The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic green beetle from Asia. Its larvae feed under the bark of ash trees and cut off the flow of water and nutrients. It was first found in North Carolina in 2013, and by May 2024 the NC Forest Service had counted 76 counties where it has been detected.

Randolph County is one of them. The Forest Service lists it as positive based on signs and symptoms in ash trees rather than a captured beetle. Either way, ash trees here are at risk. Once symptoms show, most of the crown is usually dead within two years, and the tree typically dies within five.

North Carolina's statewide quarantine for the beetle was repealed in 2026, and the federal one ended in 2021. That changes the paperwork, not the risk to your trees. Other states may still restrict ash wood and firewood from North Carolina, and rules change, so check with the NC Department of Agriculture before moving wood across state lines.

Is It an Ash, and Is It Infested?

Ash trees have compound leaves with 5 to 7 leaflets, branches that grow in opposite pairs, and clusters of narrow, oar-shaped seeds in fall. Signs of trouble include:

• Thinning at the top. The upper crown thins and dies back first.
• Sprouts on the trunk. Clumps of shoots grow from the main stem.
• Woodpecker damage. Woodpeckers chip away bark to reach the larvae, so the trunk looks patchy.
• Bark splits. Vertical cracks open where larvae feed underneath.
• D-shaped exit holes. Small, 1/8-inch holes shaped like a capital D.

Exit holes often start high in the tree, so don't rule the beetle out if you can't see any. Your NC Forest Service county ranger can help diagnose the tree. Please don't cut off pieces to carry around, since moving infested wood is one of the main ways the beetle spreads.

Should You Treat or Remove an Ash Tree?

A healthy or lightly infested ash can often be protected with insecticide. The Forest Service recommends treating valuable trees once the beetle is within 15 miles, and says treatment can still help if more than half the crown is alive. Past that point, it is usually too late.

NC State Extension says the longest-lasting option, a trunk injection of emamectin benzoate, must be applied by a licensed applicator in North Carolina and repeated every 2 to 3 years. Cheaper products such as imidacloprid must be reapplied yearly and work less well; the Forest Service says homeowners can use them on ash trees under 20 inches in trunk diameter, following the label. If you hire it out, North Carolina requires anyone applying pesticides on someone else's property for pay to hold a pesticide license, so ask to see it.

Removal makes more sense when the tree has lost more than half its leaves, shows woodpecker damage or bark splits, or isn't important to your yard. Don't wait too long. Once an ash dies, its branches turn brittle and can rot quickly, making the tree more dangerous to live near and harder to take down safely. The Forest Service notes it may be cheaper to remove an ash before it dies.

When we take down a dying ash, we plan how it will come apart before we cut. Where there is room, we fell it. Where space is tight, we take it down in controlled sections. If you keep the wood, the Forest Service's rule of thumb is to burn firewood within 50 miles of where it was cut.

Spotted Lanternfly Is in the Counties Next Door

The spotted lanternfly is an invasive, sap-feeding insect first found in North Carolina in 2022. It feeds on more than 100 kinds of plants, including maples, black walnut and grapes, and it strongly prefers tree-of-heaven.

On February 10, 2026, the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) confirmed established populations in Davidson, Rowan and Caswell counties, joining Forsyth, Guilford, Rockingham and Caldwell. Randolph County was not on that list, and it was not listed as established when we checked the NCDA&CS page on September 29, 2026. Guilford and Davidson both border our county, so check ncagr.gov/SLF for the latest status.

For most shade trees, lanternflies are a stress and a nuisance more than a killer. NC State says they have killed young plants only in rare cases. The bigger problems are their sticky honeydew, which grows black sooty mold and draws wasps, and damage to vineyards.

How to Spot a Lanternfly and What to Do

• Egg masses (fall to spring): grayish-brown patches 1 to 1.5 inches long that look like dried mud, on bark and smooth outdoor items, even vehicles.
• Young nymphs (spring): black with white spots, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long.
• Older nymphs (early summer): black with red patches and white spots, about 1/2 inch long.
• Adults (July to December): about 1 inch long, with brown-gray, black-spotted wings held like a tent. Bright red hind wings show in flight.

If you think you've found one here, take a photo with a coin for scale, note the date and place, and report it at ncagr.gov/SLF. After visiting an infested county, check your vehicle, trailer and outdoor gear, and squish or scrape any insects or egg masses you find.

Tree-of-heaven is worth learning to spot. Its leaves are 2 to 4 feet long with 10 to 40 smooth-edged leaflets, and they smell like burnt peanut butter. Cutting it down alone won't kill it, because it sprouts back from the roots. NC State says the stump needs an herbicide treatment, so plan that step first. Applying herbicide for pay in North Carolina requires a pesticide license, and your county Extension office can explain the options.

Pine Bark Beetles After Drought and Storms

The NC Forest Service calls the southern pine beetle the most destructive forest insect in North Carolina. Its outbreaks come in cycles, about every 10 years on average, and activity has been low in recent years. Ips engraver beetles go after pines already stressed by drought, storms, lightning or fire. Watch for:

• Needles changing color: yellow, then red, then brown. Trees attacked late in the season may not show it until spring.
• Pitch tubes: whitish-yellow or amber blobs of dried resin on the bark that look like popcorn. In a drought they may not form.
• Neighbors dying next: beetles move from a tree they have killed to the pines around it.

Scattered Ips losses often stop once normal rain returns. For larger infestations, the Forest Service advises cutting and removing infested trees, and notes that Ips beetles can build up in felled trees, so after a storm or a removal, don't leave fresh pine logs next to healthy pines for months. Insecticides can protect high-value yard pines; hiring that out calls for a licensed pesticide applicator.

Help in Asheboro and Randolph County

If an ash, a pine or any other tree near your home is thinning, dying or already dead, we will come look at it and give you a free estimate, with the plan and price in writing before any work starts. Call or text our main phone at (336) 523-8278 or our alternate phone at (336) 479-4339.