Band Now to Prevent Cankerworms Protect Our Trees

Each April and May, our community ‘bands’ together to help protect Regina’s trees. The City will start banding City trees today, Monday, April 17.

Tree banding is a pesticide-free, inexpensive and highly effective way to stop cankerworms. 

Banding does not guarantee cankerworms will not be present, but greatly reduces their presence. Every banded tree helps reduce the need to spray for cankerworms.

Here’s how you can band trees on your property:

• Wrap a 6-inch strip of insulation around the tree about one to two metres off the ground
• Cover the insulation with a plastic garbage bag and secure with duct tape
• Cover the plastic with your sticking agent like axel grease, Tanglefoot or Stick-em
• Don’t forget to remove your band after mid-May to keep your tree bark in good shape

It is recommended that Elm trees, Manitoba Maples and fruit trees be banded both in the spring and again in the fall to help reduce canker worms.

Our urban forest has more than 500,000 hand planted City and private trees. Anyone who has planted, maintained or banded a tree has contributed to the environmental sustainability of our community.

For more information about protecting Regina’s urban forest, visit Regina.ca/pests