Scaffolds 01 index

(Art Agnello, ama4@nysaes.cornell.edu, Entomology, Geneva)

With the passage of petal fall, we are now officially into the summer phase of the fruit pest management season, and despite the cool maximum temperatures of the recent weeks (and apparently more to come), our assorted insect pests are still continuing along their predetermined developmental paths. If there's any such thing as a normal schedule, they might be a bit behind it, but that doesn't eliminate those points in time, like about now, when a lot of them might pop up all at once. The following are updates on some of the more noteworthy characters in our drama. Dates in parentheses, where present, are the mean date of occurrence according to our recent records.

Obliquebanded Leafroller (June 10)

We have yet to catch the first obliquebanded leafroller adult in western N.Y., but it won't be too much longer before the first moths start showing up. Depending on the location, larvae can be found now in many stages of development, from the very tiny to the pupal stage in some of the more advanced sites. This would therefore be an advisable time to hang a wing-type pheromone trap in problem apple blocks, to fix the date of first emergence in your specific area.

Obliquebanded leafroller moth

Recall that we recommend sampling at 600 DD (base 43°F) after the first adult catch, to determine the need and timing for treatment. It pays to keep an eye on the daily highs and lows for your area if you are doing your own trapping, as it's likely that our "normal" first sampling date of July 5 won't turn out to have much value this year.

Stone Fruit Aphids

Although green peach aphids are not always a serious pest every year, colonies of these greenish, smooth-looking aphids have already started showing up in peach blocks.

GPA/FOLIAR DAMAGE

They cause curled leaves that may turn yellow or red in severe cases, and more importantly, they are vectors of Plum Pox Virus, which still has not been documented in N.Y., fortunately. The young aphids begin to hatch about the time of peach bloom and remain on the trees for 2-3 generations, until early summer, when they seek other hosts (mainly vegetable truck crops). Green peach aphids suck the sap from the new fruits and twigs, and are also found on plum, apricot, cherry, and many ornamental shrubs. These insects are difficult to control; Provado has another Section 18 label this year, and Lannate and Thiodan are also options, but are probably less effective. Applications are recommended before excessive leaf curling occurs, in order to maximize the spray's effectiveness.

BLACK CH. APH. DAMAGE

Also, keep an eye out for black cherry aphid in your cherry trees after shuck fall. If colonies are building up on the foliage, recommended materials include Provado, Sevin and Imidan (tart cherries only).

Cherry Fruit Flies (June 16)

No adults have been reported caught on sticky board traps yet, but because of the zero tolerance in cherries for insect damage or presence, it's prudent to begin sprays in your cherries now (for this pest as well as for curculio).

Cherry fruit fly adult

Guthion, Imidan (tart cherries only), Sevin, Diazinon or the pyrethroids are all effective treatments. Sevin and Imidan will also control black cherry aphid.

Lesser Peachtree Borer

Remember to get your trunk and scaffold sprays on peaches and cherries during the first 10 days of June if borers are a problem in your blocks. This pest increases the severity of Cytospora canker infections in peaches and is often found within the canker; by feeding in the callous tissues, it interferes with the tree's natural defenses against the disease. Infestations can be determined by the presence of the insect's frass, which resembles sawdust, in the gum exuded from the wound. In peaches, you can use Lorsban 4E, Thiodan, Asana, Ambush, or Pounce for this application. In cherries, use Thiodan 50WP, Asana, Pounce, Ambush, or Lorsban 50WP (tarts only) or 4E, as a trunk spray ONLY; do not spray the fruit.

Summer Oil for European Red Mite

In situations where European red mite pressure or the crop's sensitivity to them haven't necessarily justified an early season treatment with Agri-Mek, Apollo or Savey, this is the time of year when a summer oil program might be considered as an alternative preventive approach. Field research trials conducted in commercial and experimental apple orchards in western N.Y. have shown the effectiveness of using a highly refined oil in a seasonal program to control mites throughout the summer. Some examples of these products are Sunspray Ultra Fine Spray Oil (Sun Refining & Marketing, Philadelphia), Stylet-Oil (JMS Flower Farms, Vero Beach, FL), and Omni Supreme (an ExxonMobil product formulated using Orchex 796 and distributed in our area by Helena); others are labeled and may be available, although we haven't tested all brands.

Our approach is to make three applications, on a preventive schedule, immediately after the bloom period, before mite populations have a chance to build. The first application can be any time from petal fall to 1-2 weeks later, followed by two additional sprays at 10-14-day intervals. The oil is not concentrated in the tank, but rather mixed on the basis of a rate per 100 gallons of finish spray solution; in most cases, we recommend 100 gal. per acre. A rate of 1-2 gal/100 should maintain control of most moderate populations. Don't apply without leaving at least a 10-14-day interval before or after a captan spray.

San Jose Scale (June 19)

Minute SJS adult males emerge in the spring from beneath scale covers on the trees, usually during bloom, and mate. The first of this year's adults started showing up on May 21 in our traps at Geneva. The females produce live crawlers within 4-6 weeks of mating; these make their way to new sites and insert their mouthparts into the tree, secreting a white waxy covering that eventually darkens to black. SJS infestations on the bark contribute to an overall decline in tree vigor, growth, and productivity. Fruit feeding causes distinct red-purple spots that decrease the cosmetic appeal of the fruit. Insecticidal sprays are most effective when directed against the first generation crawlers, specifically timed for the first and peak crawler activity, which are usually 7-10 days apart.

San Jose scale crawler

Tape trap for monitoring comstock mealybug crawlers

The most reliable method of determining first appearance of the crawlers in your specific area is by putting sticky-tape traps on the tree limb near encrusted areas and checking them at least twice a week, starting about the second week of June. Alternatively, a degree-day accumulation of 310 (50°F base) from the date of first adult catch has also been shown to be reliable if the degree-days are known with some accuracy. In the Geneva area, first crawler emergence has tended to occur sometime around mid-June, but as we've only reached 106 DD as of this writing, we still have some time to wait. Lorsban used to be the standard recommended treatment for scale, and since it's no longer labeled for summer use, we're fortunate to have a new product available that is reportedly quite effective against this pest. Esteem 0.86EC can be applied at 13-16 oz/acre at first crawler emergence; a low rate (0.25% or 1 qt/100) of a highly refined summer oil (see above) has been shown to improve penetration and, therefore, control.

Plum Curculio. Not much movement toward the 340 DD (base 50°F) spray cutoff for this pest. Looks like it's gonna be another long emergence. Some sample numbers:

North Appleton (May 19 PF estimate) - 118

Williamson (May 15 PF estimate) - 153

Geneva (May 14 PF estimate) - 162

Highland (May 9 PF estimate) - 281

Oriental Fruit Moth. In Niagara Co., using April 26 as the biofix for first flight, the 294 DD (base 45°F) accumulation puts us at 40-50% first brood larval hatch. Growers should be somewhere between their first (at PF) and second (14 days later) applications of a pyrethroid for this insect (plus curc).

Codling Moth. Also relatively behind recent years. With 250 DD (base 50°F) as a first spray date, we currently have:

Geneva (1st catch of May 21) - 106

Highland (1st catch of May 14) - 206

Disease 6.4