Natural Solutions to Things That Bug You (40 page)

              THE PROBLEM                                                                      CAUSED BY                                                       

Reddish-brown round scales on leaves and

twigs, leaves may yellow and drop                                          California red scale

Fruit and leaves have honeydew and black

sooty mold                                                                                                  Soft scales

Leaves curled and may have honeydew and mold              Aphids

Honeydew on fruit and leaves, flies fly away

when disturbed                                                                                    Whiteflies

Honeydew on fruit and leaves, cottony secretion

on leaves and twigs                                                                                    Cottony cushion scale

Fruit and leaves with honeydew and black mold              Mealybugs

Ring or partial ring of scarred tissue on stem

and fruit skin, young leaves may be deformed                            Citrus thrips

Fruit scarred but no ring around stem                                          Wind abrasion

Holes in blossoms, leaves or new fruit                                          Citrus cutworm

New leaves with holes, webbed together                                          Leaffrollers

Leaves and green fruit have yellow stippling                            Citrus red mite

ELM TREES

             
MISCELANEOUS PESTS

EUROPEAN ELM SCALE

General Information:

These pests can easily be spotted on the bark of the trees during the early summer, which is when the scales reach their maturity.

The scales are oval, reddish-purple and have a white, waxy secretion. If you crush them with your fingers they will cause a red stain. They cause the leaves of the tree to become prematurely yellow, especially on the lower branches. If you have a bad infestation the leaves will turn a gray-green and wilt.

WHOOOOSH

One of the easiest ways to eliminate the scales is to use a forceful stream of water using a garden hose. If that doesn’t work use a spray of dormant oil in the early spring.

EUROPEAN RED MITE

General Information:

    This mite attacks fruit trees. The adult is very small and the female is dark red with a few white spots. The most serious infestation usually occurs in the hottest part of the summer around July and August. They feed on chlorophyll and cause the foliage to become bronzed and the fruit may then drop prematurely as well as being small and low in sugar content. If the infestation is early in the season, the bud set for the following year may be reduced.

EGG KILL
ER

Apply a superior dormant-oil spray in early spring to kill the over-wintering eggs. This is one of the best methods of eliminating the problem. Most of the time natural predators will take care of the problem since the mites are at the bottom of the food chain.

FRUIT TREE LEAFROLLER

General Information:

The leafroller prefers citrus trees, apple trees and most stonefruit trees. The caterpillar likes to feed on the young leaves, buds and developing fruit. The majority of damage occurs in the spring and early summer months.

About mid-summer the pest will be inactive in the egg stage until the spring when it goes back into action. The caterpillar is green and has a shiny black head and it will feed inside of rolled up leaves or blossoms. When it is disturbed it will fall on a spun thread.

OIL THEM IN THE WINTER

One of the best methods of controlling these pests is to spray oil in January or February before any of the buds begin to open to kill the egg masses on the twigs.

ORIENTAL FRUIT MOTH

General Information:

    The larval stage tunnels into tender peach shoots and other fruit very early in the season and later enters the fruit. If you get a wormy peach it is usually this pest that is at fault. The mature larvae are pinkish and about ½ inches long. The first indication of a problem is the wilting of the terminal of growing shoots. It is not easy to identify the problem with the worms eating the peach around the pit. You may sometimes notice a gummy residue on the outside of the peach. If they
enter through a tiny hole in the stem you may never notice them until it’s too late. Dormant oil sprays do not work on these pests

PARASITE SAVES THE DAY

There is one parasite that is very useful and will save the crop. The wasp
Macrocentrus ancylivorus
has been used very effectively when this pest is identified.

STOP THE MATING

A relatively new pheromone product called Isomate-M™ will disrupt their mating and reproduction process. It is being used successfully in commercial orchards only.

PEACH TREE

PEACH & NECTARINE PEST PROBLEM SOLVER