Woolly Apids on Apple

 Hi Everyone,

I have a friend with extensive woolly aphids on a mature apple. It is
the second year they are there, so they are widespread, on scars on
trunk etc. So just cutting them off will not work alone.

Added to that, his wife has multiple illnesses, and they are trying
not to use any hazardous chemicals.

Can anyone suggest a treatment. I was tempted to say pyrethrum or
detergent, but would appreciate advice.

Thanks!

Linda
kapana@netspace.net.au

 g'day linda,

i guess you mean mealy bugs?

so along those lines her goes:

look for ants, the ants ahve a symbiotic relationship with these sorts
of bugs scale & aphids included, for effective control you will need
to move the ants on first in most cases.

to treat the mealy bug spray with a "white oil" product you can either
buy a commercial product (a petroleum bi-product it is) or make one
yourself (see recipe on our remedies page).

give all teh affected areas (probably most of the tree) a good dose
after the heat of the sun, you may need successive sprayings over the
next weeks months to get complete control.

ther a re a couple of products you might hunt up either from growers
suppliers or produce agencies, one is a "gel" that you apply in a
strip down near the base of the tree this stops ants from going up the
tree, ensure that no part of the tree touches any other tree or fence,
or the ants will take that route.

the other is a tape that does much the same as the gel.

try this site they may be able to help?

http://www.greenharvest.com.au/

the white oil isn't systemic so it doesn't get taken in by the plant
so their is little chance of much if any residuals ending up in the
apples, this task of course might better be done with no fruit on the
tree?? or wash fruit thoroughly or peel the skin off??

keep us informed



wrote:
snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

 

    I have a mature apple tree and treat this problem with spraying
vegetable oil/water with a little bit of detergent, it is very effective on
my tree, must say tho' there's only very small outbreaks so don't know how
it would work with extensive infestation. Good luck

 
like len said, white oil will do the trick. (the composition is something
like 1 part veg or olive oil to 8 parts water & a wee drop of detergent - it
suffocates them) shake well & spray on to the aphids with any sort of
squirter or pump with a fine spray. this can cause a bit of sunburn on the
leaves in summer if you're not careful, but won't have any effect on the
tree this time of year.

if there are as many as it sounds, brushing off the main clumps with a stiff
brush might help most at first (you can use kerosene or metho on the brush
to kill them too if you want, but the reality of aphids is that once they're
off the plant, they're mostly stuffed, as most of them can't fly & will be
squashed in the process anyway).

in my limited experience of apple trees, it seems to me that some of them
are plagued with woolly aphid & some are not, & your friend will need to
check & treat again later on. after the first treatment, leave it for a week
or 2 & then he can find & kill the survivors. but he will need to keep
checking for a while (or indefinitely ;-). a few aphids make no real
difference to the tree's health, but if there are too many it will.
kylie