Leaves
The loss of leaves from trees in Autumn is part of the natural cycle and cannot be avoided by pruning.
We do not remove leaves in gutters that may have fallen from trees on public land.
If gutters are regularly blocked by fallen leaves we recommend adding gutter guards as a cheap and easy way to keep out leaves and other debris.
Our teams work throughout the Autumn to clear fallen leaves from our streets. Leaves collected in this way are generally sent for composting.
Sticky sap
Honeydew or ‘sticky sap’ is caused by greenfly (aphids) feeding on the tree and excreting a sugary sap. Often the honeydew is colonised by a mould which causes it to go black.
There is little that can be done to remove the aphid which causes the problem and pruning the tree may only offer temporary relief. Where new trees are planted, we try to choose trees that are less likely to cause this problem. Where honeydew affects cars, warm soapy water will remove the substance, particularly if you wash the car as soon as possible.
Tree blossom
Tree blossom is a natural occurrence which cannot be reasonably avoided by pruning.
We sweep the streets and the paths in our parks to remove excessive blossom as part of our regular maintenance programme.
Tree pollen
The benefits trees provide towards improved health far outweigh any negative effects.
The removal of a small number of trees will offer no significant improvement to hay fever sufferers.
Bird droppings
We understand that bird droppings can be a nuisance. However, we do not prune or remove a tree to prevent bird droppings. Nesting birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (and other related wildlife laws). Washing with warm soapy water will usually remove the bird droppings.
Falling fruit / berries / nuts
We do not prune or fell a tree on public land to remove or reduce falling fruit, berries or nuts.
Poisonous berries / foliage
We do not generally remove trees bearing poisonous fruit / foliage (such as yew trees). However, if you believe unsupervised young children are likely to be exposed to poisonous berries / foliage from a particular tree, please email Environment.Helpdesk@bedford.gov.uk and we will investigate.