Q: I was looking at my Burr Oak tree and the leaves are turning brown and are all chewed up ant have these little things hanging all over it, what is killing my tree and how do I save it?
A: I know it can look bad but I do not believe that the tree is in danger of being killed yet. It appears that you may have an insect pest called a Bag Worm. These little and some times not so little things generally attack pine and juniper plants but I have seen them on oaks, yaupons, sycamore trees and Bald Cypress. If they eat enough of the pine and juniper plants they can kill them, but the other trees seem to bounce back better. Treat with a systemic tree treatment or a biological spray containing BT, some times sold under the name Thuricide.