It's why I find oaks so interesting. Wool sower galls, seen in early summer on white oaks, look something like toasted marshmallows. Leaf Galls caused by Gall Mite - Cecidophyes nudus on leaf of Herb Bennet or Wood Avens leaf - Geum urbanum Tree pests galls of Neuroterus numismalis on oak leaves isolated. Jumping oak gall caused by cynipid gall wasps Leaf galls. Galls from a post oak clutter the ground as they detach from leaves and twigs in time to be covered with fall’s leaf litter. If you have an oak tree in your home landscape, you might have spotted small, unsightly brown balls hanging like fruit or growing into a branch. White Oak Gall (you don’t have a picture of.) Range from slight swelling to large knot-like growth. Oak apple or oak gall is the common name for a large, round, vaguely apple-like gall commonly found on many species of oak.Oak apples range in size from 2 to 4 centimetres (1 to 2 in) in diameter and are caused by chemicals injected by the larva of certain kinds of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. Photo: Sandy Feather, Penn State. These galls, sometimes called rough bullet galls, can quickly become unsightly. These are bud, flower, leaf, twig and root galls. Galls may occur on leaves, twigs, flowers, buds or roots. Lower Leaf Surface: above gall enlarged. Tiny adult wasps later chew their way to freedom. "Woolly, dirty white, of 2-10 seed-like bodies attached by one end on midrib on upper or lower side, in fall." Galls range in size from 1 mm to 6 cm or more and come in many shapes and colors, as depicted on this page. 3 of 5 Woolly leaf galls on oak foliage. Three-quarters of the gall-makers belong to two families: the wasp family Cynipidae; and the "gall midge" family Cecidomyiidae (cecido means "gall"). Most common galls. The majority of species occur on oak trees (Quercus sp.). Oklahoma, USA. Appear as leaf curls, blisters, nipples or erineums (hairy, felt-like growths). Woolly oak leaf gall, one of many common galls on oaks, and common in northern Iowa this year. Oak gall. Bastiaan M. Drees photo. Oaks are prime gall-fodder providing support for over 800 different types of galls. The adult female wasp lays single eggs in developing leaf buds. My discovery was that Ed has cynipid wasp galls, or woolly oak leaf galls. Once on the ground, larval activity causes the galls to jump around, hence their common name. These insects live inside the galls on oak leaves. … Silk button galls on the underside of pedunculate oak leaf caused by the gall wasp neuroterus numismalis. Formed on leaf blades or petioles. The galls start out green-colored, eventually darkening to brown as … The oak apple gall wasp (Biorhiza pallida), one of the most well-known, produces flattened, rounded galls that measure up to 40mm in diameter. John Everett photos Photo: John Everett. Galls wasps in the genus Neuroterus have some of the most unusual galls. What is effective in treating for oak mites? Galls similar to Andricus quercusflocci (which is not a TX species.) So exactly what are oak leaf mites? Macro photo of tree pests eggs on oak leaves isolated on white background. In late fall and early winter, oak (Quercus species) trees often stand out from their forest companions, refusing to let go of their richly colored russet and brown leaves long after other deciduous trees are completely bare. Oaks are members of the Beech (Fagaceae) family, and winter leaf retention, or marcescence, is a family trait. The wasp lays its eggs inside a dormant leaf bud which hatches in the spring, so starting the process for the formation of the gall. Caused by gall wasps who lay eggs on the leaf. Other galls are named for the plant affected, such as oak tree galls. I usually see them on burr oak and occasionally on swamp white oak. How to Get Rid of Oak Galls. Leaf galls on bald cypress (Taxodium) probably caused by a midge (Diptera) Wool sower gall on white oak (Quercus alba) caused by a wasp (Hymenoptera) "Seed-like" structures of the wool sower gall on white oak (Quercus alba) each contain a gall-forming insect, a wasp (Hymenoptera) Oak tree heavily infested with horned oak galls. Oak Leaf Galls . Oak-apple galls are so-named because they resemble small apples. Although most gall wasps are superficially similar, the adults from the leaf galls do not exactly resemble adults from twig galls. 4 of 5 Mealy oak gall. When grubs in the leaf galls mature, they pupate, and in a few weeks a new generation of male and female leaf gall adults chews out. Horned oak galls are a stem gall that can be numerous on trees. I have found that the best way to manage oak galls is by pouring a large glass of ice tea, adding a squeeze of lemon and a sprig of mint, and finding a good book to read. Galls on white oak, Quercus alba, leaves. When the galls mature, the larvae drop to the ground. Lower Leaf Surface: The black arrow points to one of the tiny galls. There are blister, bud, nipple, pouch and roly-poly galls to name a few. The Gall is produced on the leaf and the larva remains inside the Gall, feeding on the growth which does not harm the tree. A female gallmaker insect --- of which there are about 1,500 different species --- will select a certain type of plant and a certain place on that plant, whether it be a leaf, twig or branch, and will lay an egg in that part of the plant. Oak trees, in particular, appear to get many different types of galls. Roly poly galls look something like hollow green grapes, each with a single seedlike wasp larva inside. They are caused by a gall wasp. Neuroterus irregularis causes an irregular gall on the leaves of post oak. These mate, and then females lay their eggs in oak twigs. There are over 50 species of gall-wasps that are known to produce oak-apple galls in North America and there are probably at least 10 - 15 distinct species of oak-apple gall-wasps found in Ohio. Clean up all leaf and twig debris near the base of the tree. Oak-apples are constructed of leaf buds that have been hijacked by the gall-wasp. 4 oak galls aligned in a row under an oak leaf, they are greenish yellow and cover with little red hair Oak apple on oak tree. Galls are one of the more intriguing sides of nature to view and behold. Galls are irregular plant growths which can be stimulated by the reaction between plant hormones and powerful growth regulating chemicals produced by some insects, mites, nematodes and fungi. Many Oak Leaf Galls are caused by tiny Wasps in the family Cynipidae, and the images you supplied look somewhat like the photos posted to BugGuide of Galls produced by the Gall Wasp Callirhytis furva. Deformed growth on stems and twigs. Defoliated leaves, dead branches and other debris very often serve as over-wintering sites for gall-producing insects, so eliminating these sites can compel the wasps to seek another overwintering site away from your oak tree. WHITE OAKS Post Oak (stellata) White Shin Oak (breviloba) Sand Post Oak (margarettae) Leaf midrib, underside: Begins to develop in August. The cycle starts all over again as female wasps lay their eggs on oak leaves to create new galls. Neuroterus saltarius forms tiny galls on the leaves of post oak that are dehiscent, that is, they drop off of the leaf. Still other galls get their name from the area affected. There are no effective treatments. Oak Galls on oak branch. On the upper or lower leaf surface. Oak leaf gall mites are more of a problem for humans than for oak trees. Many galls are named for their appearance. This gall is called an oak flake gall. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors and textures – truly one of nature’s more “artistic” flourishes! Oak apples, galls made by the Oak marble gall wasp (Andricus kollari) on an oak tree (Quercus robur) isolated on white. Horned oak gall, the 'horns' contain the wasp larvae that trigger the gall formation. In the early spring, the non-stinging wasp lays her eggs on the leaves, stems, twigs, or flowers of the oak tree. But those fuzzy spots on the leaf aren't mold; in fact, they're galls. A gall is a growth on a plant that develops due to insects that majority of the time. California Oak Galls Wasps in the family Cynipidae are gall inducers on plants, or inquilines of gall inducers (living inside the galls made by other cynipids). I came across a number of interesting oak leaf insect galls during hikes this week in several local parks. If you want more information about these oak leaf itch mites, click here. Location: Murrysville, East of Pittsburgh, PA October 28, 2010 4:18 pm Hello Bugman, I took pictures of some galls on my white oak tree today (10-27-10) I couldn’t find any pictures of these either on BugGuide or on this site. Each contains a cynipid wasp larva. Stem and twig galls.