Most often, pests on the apple tree appear during the flowering period of the tree, they are attracted by a strong aroma. At this moment, insects cause irreparable damage to the garden, and the yield of the apple tree decreases. Timely processing will protect the plants, which will certainly affect the amount of the crop.
Apple Pest Control: Fundamentals
Pests of trees are divided into two types:
• sucking;
• gnawing.
They cause various harm to the leaves, fruits and other organs of the tree, so the fight against them is different.
Pest Control
Sucking insects feed on the plant’s cell nipple, sucking it through small punctures in the leaves or bark. This type of pest includes aphids, scale insects, ticks, and cicadas.
Sucking pests multiply rapidly, in a short time they infect most of the leaves, depriving the tree of the ability to develop normally. In addition, insects secrete sweet juice - this is the best environment for the development of fungi.
You can get rid of sucking pests by chemical and biological products. Of the chemicals, we single out the most effective:
• Nitrofen. Process the bark and trunk before budding. The solution is prepared from 200 g of the drug and 10 l of water. It has a detrimental effect even on pest eggs laid in the fall.
• Fufanon. Spraying is carried out during the swelling of the buds, before flowering and after. Bred according to the instructions.
• Karbofos. A systemic drug for many pests.
• Mospilan. A systemic preparation that destroys eggs, larvae and adults.
Biological products do not act as fast as chemical ones, but do not harm a person.
• Verticillin. Effective against aphids and whiteflies.
• Bicol. Destroys a spider mite.
The duration of biological products is much lower, therefore, frequent processing is required.
How to get rid of gnawing insects
Gnawing pests feed on parts of the tree and cause physical harm. These are weevils, kidney beetles, leaf beetles, flower beetles and others. Insects hibernate in waste, dry leaves, carrion, pruned branches, under the weeds.
In the fight against insects, the same chemicals are used as against sucking pests. Bred according to the instructions.
Of the biological products, Phytoverm and Actofit have proven themselves well.
Aphid on the apple tree: photo of the pest, methods of control
In early spring, hungry insects cling to a tree, eating greens. This not only spoils the appearance of the apple tree, but also makes it impossible to develop normally.
The pest settles on the underside of the leaf in whole colonies, which are very difficult not to notice. The aphids of young shoots are affected, the leaves curl down, lose their color.
As a prevention, gardeners regularly spray the garden. The first time the tree is done in the spring, as soon as the buds open. Repeat spraying every 14 days or after rain.
A working solution for spraying is prepared from kalbofos:
• 3% solution is used for processing on sleeping kidneys;
• 2% of the mixture is suitable for spraying on barely opened buds;
• 1% liquid is sprayed on a green cone.
Instead of kalbofos, you can use other drugs that are bred according to the instructions.
Advice! Do not use drugs that are harmful to beneficial insects for spraying. For example, a ladybug feeds on aphids, which reduces the number of pests in the garden.
Apple moth: description of the pest with a photo, control measures
Moth larvae lays on young shoots and buds, at the very base. In the spring, gluttonous caterpillars feed on buds and young leaves, after which they stretch a web between the leaves, where they successfully reproduce further.
The fight against apple moths is carried out throughout the season. To begin with, spraying in early spring with a solution of nitrafen 3%, after budding, the treatment is repeated with a 2% solution of ash.
How to get rid of ants on an apple tree
Ants not only eat kidneys on the apple tree and eat fruit juice, but also plant aphids in the garden. It is useless to fight aphids on an apple tree if there is an anthill in the garden. Its hardworking inhabitants will still carry aphids for grazing.
Fighting ants is very difficult. The approach should be comprehensive. Apply not only chemical, but also folk methods from ants.
Important! Aerosols from insects in the open air do not give effect.
An effective way are poison traps. The insect is poisoned by a strong poison of slow action, and goes into the anthill, where it infects all its inhabitants. This method gives the result, but not as fast as we would like.
In the arsenal of a modern summer resident there are more humane ways to deal with ants - a metal belt for a tree. The belt is attached to the tree trunk, since the metal has a smooth surface, then the ants cannot pass through it.
You can sprinkle paths and anthills with black pepper or mustard. This will drive the ants out of the garden.
Tick on the apple: photo and description of the pest, how to get rid of ticks
The red tick harms all the trees in the garden, so it is not necessary to allow its reproduction. The fight is all season.
The pest overwinters in plant debris and cracks that form on the bark of a tree. During flowering, overwintered individuals emerge on young shoots and lay larvae. The presence of the tick can be detected by the characteristic thin cobweb that forms in the affected areas. The insect itself is very small, red, it is not so easy to see it.
To prevent the spread of the pest, be sure to remove all plant debris in the autumn, dig a tree trunk around well, carefully clean wounds and cracks in the bark, and close them with garden varieties. Spraying with drugs is carried out 3 times, but the last one month before harvesting.
• before budding, use nitrafen, oleuprit;
• during the formation of buds apply kalbofos, colloidal sulfur;
• sprinkle metaphos, phosphamide on the fruits.
Use sulfur-containing preparations carefully, otherwise the risk of wood burns will increase. Observe safety precautions, spraying in calm weather.
Sapwood and bark beetle: malicious beetles
There are several types of these pests that appear after the flowering of the apple tree.
Sapwood is a shiny black bug that feeds on tree bark and causes great damage. Without proper treatment, the apple tree will simply die.
Beetle larvae hibernate in cracks in the bark and trunk, and in the early spring they feed on the sap of a tree, gnaw holes and go outside. Females give large offspring, do not die for a long time.
Important! If bark beetles appeared on the apple tree, then the entire garden must be repeatedly treated from fungal diseases.
To get rid of pests, carefully clean the garden in the fall. In early spring, pour boiling water over the tree to destroy all pests. In winter, dig a trunk circle when stable frosty weather is established.
Wounds and cracks in the cortex are cleaned and treated with 1% copper sulfate, and then carefully closed. This is the most effective remedy against diseases and pests.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that rarely a tree is affected by one type of pest, so complex preparations offer protection in several directions at once. Carefully monitor the condition of apple trees in order to take timely pest control measures.
