I have 2 Bradford Pear threes in my front yard, appoximately 10 years old. They each have bore holes which are about 1/4 inch in diameter and generally regularly spaced, in rings around the trunk. They go through the bark but not into the meat of the trunk. I have noticed 2 bugs on the tree. One looks like a leach, slimy, about 3/8 in long with tiny antennae off of its head. There were about 3 in the tiny holes. ANotyher bug looks like a tiny armadillo, that armour looking covering on its back with many legs. Could these be creating these holes or would they be from birds and the bigs are subsequently using the holes as a home? Any certain treament advised?

Thanks for your input

Jim

It sounds like Sapsucker holes to me. The "leech"-like things are probably small slugs or sawfly larvae, and the "armadillo"-like thing may be either a pillbug or a silverfish, I suppose.
See the linked site Pear slugabout the "pear slug" sawfly larva.

The description fits with the sapsucker, as Mark suggested. They are a small woodpecker, and often visit the trees repeatedly, making a series of small holes in the bark in a regular grid pattern. They seem to stop just short of damaging the cambium, so the tree is not too seriiously harmed from this, in most cases.

The bird does two things- it apparently does drink some of the sap or exudate from the holes, but more importantly, it comes back every few days to find bugs attracted to the fresh holes. So the bugs you are seeing are feeding the sapsucker.

In reality, there is little that can be done to stop this. Wrapping the tree with a fabric might discourage the bird. After a short while, it will find other feeding places.

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Russ Carlson, RCA