Holes in the cedar

[4speed]

I am posting this from my phone so I hope everything works right. These pictures are of a couple of juniper trees in front of our pond. High winds twisted the top out of one of them a few years ago. I was going to wait until I have a bandsaw mill before cutting it down. Today I noticed these holes completely covering the tree. Is this some sort of boring insect? It appears that the sap (if I'm mistaken about it being "sap" let me know) has covered the openings. If it is an insect, what a tion should I take? I have several of these trees on our property larger than these and I would hate to lose them. Thank you in advance for any information. 

  

  

 

[thecfarm]

Holes look kinda rough,sap sucker, wood pecker?

[WDH]

Yes, sapsuckers.  They also eat the insects that are attracted to the sap after they get the sap flowing.  There is even a defect in the hardwood lumber grading rules called bird peck.  They do not damage the tree enough to kill it.  You see it a lot in hickory down here in the South.

Down here in the South, if someone calls you a Sapsucker, that is not a term of endearment  .

[4speed]

Thanks for the responses. I've seen some woodpeckers in the past few weeks. If they are handling the bugs, that's fine by me. I can't say I've ever been called a Sapsucker, but there are a few other choice words that have been used to describe me that can't be shared here! 

[Chuck White]

Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker!

They're everywhere!

[thurlow]

Down here in the South, if someone calls you a Sapsucker, that is not a term of endearment  .

Reminds me of my grand dad (1901-1986); never heard him cuss and about the most derogatory thing he could say about someone was, "Why, that sapsucker."  While I'm thinking of him....... don't believe I ever heard him say thank-you;  have heard, "Much obliged" many, many times.

[WDH]

Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker!

I resemble that remark  :D.