Post by Moon Seeker on Jun 23, 2009 9:56:35 GMT -5
Potential pest alert
Codling Moths: Apples are finishing up blooming and small fruit are starting to form. While cooler weather has slowed Codling Moth development as the weather warms, the spray window for Codling Moth could be around June 19th. The least toxic option for codling moth is Spinosad. Malathion is the hard-pesticide option. So purchase your spray material now and make sure your sprayer is working!
Cherry Fruit Worms: It’s time to put up yellow card or red ball sticky traps for cherry fruit worms. If you catch 1/4 inch long flies with clear wings that have a black Z or W pattern on them, then it’s time to spray for cherry fruit worm. The least toxic options are Spinosad and Pyrethrum. Usually we don’t start to catch cherry fruit flies until cherries begin to change color. Tent Caterpillars are present on fruit trees, aspens, cottonwoods, and choke cherries. They are still in the stage where you’ll see “nests” of tent caterpillars. You can remove and destroy the nests or treat them with Bt (Bacillus thuriengensis) a biological that is specific to worms and does not kill predator insects.
Elm leaf miners and birch leaf miners are causing small tan colored blotches on elm and birch leaves now. Leaf miners feed inside leaves and are now about 1/4 inch in size. If more than 25 percent of your tree leaves have tan blotches, you might consider spraying. The least-toxic options for Leaf miners are Spinosad and neem.
Aphids: Aphid populations are increasing, especially on maple and fruit tress. Check susceptible trees and shrubs such as plum, cherry, caragana, and roses now. Treat aphids with insecticidal soap or if populations are high and leaves are curling, insecticidal soap plus Pyrethrum. White woolly aphids are present on Spruce and Douglas Fir trees now. If you had pine-cone-like galls on spruce trees last year, treat this woolly aphid stage of the Spruce gall adelgid ASAP with insecticidal soap.
Leafhoppers are hatching on Virginia creeper, apples and roses. Check the undersides of Virginia Creeper leaves now for tiny, aphid-like leaf hopper larvae. If leafhoppers turned Virginia Creeper leaves brown last year, spray insecticidal soap plus Pyrethrum as soon as you find leaf hopper larvae on leaf undersides.
Pine Needle Scale eggs are starting to hatch now. If you had a heavy infestation of these white scales on Mugo pines last year, you might consider spraying the tips of Mugo pine branches with a 1-2 percent concentration of Horticultural oil or with insecticide soap.
Grasshoppers: There is a severe infestation of grasshoppers this year. Now is the critical time for treatment. The window of opportunity for getting a handle on it will only be open till mid-July. Currently, the recommended insecticides are Dimilin 2L and Sevin (contains Carbaryl). These insecticides are most often used to treat the hatching beds. Semaspore can also be used as a biological control.
Mountain Pine Beetle: Now is the time to be proactive in applying treatments to healthy pine trees to prevent Mountain Pine Beetle attack. You can apply the pheromone called Verbenone or spray the trunks of pine trees with carbaryl up to where the trunk diameter is LESS THAN 5 inches around. Keep pine trees well watered when weather is hot and dry.
Powdery mildew is present as a white film on the terminal of crabapple, apple and caragana. Sulfur is the least toxic option for powdery mildew.
Flea beetles are active now. Cover susceptible crops such as broccoli, eggplant, and tomato with floating row covers or spray with rotenone-pyrethrum if young plants are heavily infested. Fertilize flea beetle injured plants weekly with liquid fertilizer to help them outgrow flea beetle damage.
For more information on pests and what to do about them please contact your Flathead Reservation Extension Office at (406) 675-2700, ext. 1247 or send an email to the office at flatheadreservation@montana.edu.
www.charkoosta.com/2009/2009_06_18/CK-Potential_pest_alert.html
Codling Moths: Apples are finishing up blooming and small fruit are starting to form. While cooler weather has slowed Codling Moth development as the weather warms, the spray window for Codling Moth could be around June 19th. The least toxic option for codling moth is Spinosad. Malathion is the hard-pesticide option. So purchase your spray material now and make sure your sprayer is working!
Cherry Fruit Worms: It’s time to put up yellow card or red ball sticky traps for cherry fruit worms. If you catch 1/4 inch long flies with clear wings that have a black Z or W pattern on them, then it’s time to spray for cherry fruit worm. The least toxic options are Spinosad and Pyrethrum. Usually we don’t start to catch cherry fruit flies until cherries begin to change color. Tent Caterpillars are present on fruit trees, aspens, cottonwoods, and choke cherries. They are still in the stage where you’ll see “nests” of tent caterpillars. You can remove and destroy the nests or treat them with Bt (Bacillus thuriengensis) a biological that is specific to worms and does not kill predator insects.
Elm leaf miners and birch leaf miners are causing small tan colored blotches on elm and birch leaves now. Leaf miners feed inside leaves and are now about 1/4 inch in size. If more than 25 percent of your tree leaves have tan blotches, you might consider spraying. The least-toxic options for Leaf miners are Spinosad and neem.
Aphids: Aphid populations are increasing, especially on maple and fruit tress. Check susceptible trees and shrubs such as plum, cherry, caragana, and roses now. Treat aphids with insecticidal soap or if populations are high and leaves are curling, insecticidal soap plus Pyrethrum. White woolly aphids are present on Spruce and Douglas Fir trees now. If you had pine-cone-like galls on spruce trees last year, treat this woolly aphid stage of the Spruce gall adelgid ASAP with insecticidal soap.
Leafhoppers are hatching on Virginia creeper, apples and roses. Check the undersides of Virginia Creeper leaves now for tiny, aphid-like leaf hopper larvae. If leafhoppers turned Virginia Creeper leaves brown last year, spray insecticidal soap plus Pyrethrum as soon as you find leaf hopper larvae on leaf undersides.
Pine Needle Scale eggs are starting to hatch now. If you had a heavy infestation of these white scales on Mugo pines last year, you might consider spraying the tips of Mugo pine branches with a 1-2 percent concentration of Horticultural oil or with insecticide soap.
Grasshoppers: There is a severe infestation of grasshoppers this year. Now is the critical time for treatment. The window of opportunity for getting a handle on it will only be open till mid-July. Currently, the recommended insecticides are Dimilin 2L and Sevin (contains Carbaryl). These insecticides are most often used to treat the hatching beds. Semaspore can also be used as a biological control.
Mountain Pine Beetle: Now is the time to be proactive in applying treatments to healthy pine trees to prevent Mountain Pine Beetle attack. You can apply the pheromone called Verbenone or spray the trunks of pine trees with carbaryl up to where the trunk diameter is LESS THAN 5 inches around. Keep pine trees well watered when weather is hot and dry.
Powdery mildew is present as a white film on the terminal of crabapple, apple and caragana. Sulfur is the least toxic option for powdery mildew.
Flea beetles are active now. Cover susceptible crops such as broccoli, eggplant, and tomato with floating row covers or spray with rotenone-pyrethrum if young plants are heavily infested. Fertilize flea beetle injured plants weekly with liquid fertilizer to help them outgrow flea beetle damage.
For more information on pests and what to do about them please contact your Flathead Reservation Extension Office at (406) 675-2700, ext. 1247 or send an email to the office at flatheadreservation@montana.edu.
www.charkoosta.com/2009/2009_06_18/CK-Potential_pest_alert.html