Insects

Producing High Quality Fruit at Home

by at

Pruning- Pruning the fruit tree is an important step in improving fruit quality. Fire blight, powdery Fruit treemildew and summer rots can be reduced by carefully pruning out limbs harboring disease inoculum. Pruning trees should be done according to the desired structural shape of the tree.

Prune out all broken and dead branches and any sucker growth around the bottom of the tree trunk. Once the dead and broken material has been removed, the general shape of the healthy tree can be seen. Correct pruning helps improve overall air movement and sunlight penetration into the canopy. It also helps reduce disease and insect pressure. A rule of thumb I often use when pruning fruit trees is, “When in doubt, prune it out”. All pruning should be completed no later than mid-March for best results here in Ohio.

If trees have been neglected for several years, they may need to be rejuvenated. A second step is to decide how big/tall the tree should be. A tree with dwarfing rootstock can be maintained at about 8 to 10 feet tall, semi-dwarf rootstock at about 12 to 16 feet and a standard rootstock at about 16 to 20 feet tall. If your trees have not been pruned in many years, you should not cut them to the desired height in one year.

Your plan should be to reduce the tree height over a period of about 3 years by removing no more than one-third of the height each year (ex. 25’ tree to a final height of 16’— lower at a rate of about 3’ each year). Do not cut all the limbs in half or “Top” the tree, like some people and or tree trimming companies do with shade trees, to reduce their height. Pick and choose limbs that can be cut back to the approximate desired length, at a lateral branch, and make the cut there. “Work” the tree height down systematically over the time period rather topping.

When working with neglected trees do not feed the tree with nitrogen after pruning. Nitrogen applications would stimulate growth and compound the problem you are trying to fix. Water sprouts will likely develop around or below pruned areas during the spring and summer. Removal of this vegetative growth should be frequently done by rubbing off or pulling off the shoot while it is still short and green around the bottom (<10-12 inches in length). Pulling is recommended rather than cutting so you remove the entire shoot and not have a short stub remaining. If the shoots become brown and woody at the base, pulling may no longer be an option because you may cause unwanted tearing into the bark. Cutting is then preferred.

Disease Control- Early spring is the best time to apply sprays to control certain insects and diseases. Gardeners who have had problems in the past years should consider applying early season sprays to prevent or minimize pest damage to the leaves and fruit of the trees. Additional applications of fungicide and insecticide sprays during the growing season may be necessary to control specific pests. Early application of the proper sprays should minimize the use of pesticides during the remainder of the growing season.

Dormant oil sprays are intended to be used before the leaf or fruit buds open in the spring. This can effectively control many scale insects, European red mite eggs and aphids. Be sure to check the label, for temperature restrictions before applying dormant oils. Early season fungicide sprays should be applied at the green tip through pink or white bud growth stages. These sprays will help minimize diseases. Application of fungicides while trees are blooming may be made, but insecticide sprays should not be made during the flower blooming stage to protect pollinating bees. Additional applications of fungicides or insecticides may be needed to insure high quality fruit later in the season.

For more information about pruning specific trees or applying sprays correctly, contact Mark at the Monroe County Extension office at 740-472-0810. Bulletins and factsheets are available which contain pruning information. Also available are spray guides to help you produce high quality fruit your trees are capable of producing.

Lice and Beef Cattle

by at

Cattle Lice -Winter is the prime time for lice populations on beef cattle to increase. As temperatures cool and hair coats grow longer producers need to be monitoring their livestock. Constant rubbing is a sign or indicator your livestock may have biting and or sucking lice. Both biting and sucking lice are spread by direct contact with other animals and these parasites can cost producers a lot of money. Some loss comes from production loss, but other losses occur when livestock rub equipment, fences and buildings causing damage to them. A few cattle have lice year-around and are called carriers. This may only be 1-2 percent of the herd (usually older cows or bulls), but they can re-infect the other animals causing increased populations among all the livestock.

Biting lice survive by feeding on the skin, hair and sloughed skin cells of the animal. A complete lifebiting lice cycle of biting lice can occur in as little as three weeks, and adults can live as long as 10 weeks. The adult biting louse has a brownish-amber color head with a darkly outlined abdomen with a series of brown crossbars on a pale background. It is commonly found near the base of the tail and along the topline of the animals.

Sucking lice, on the other hand, are a more serious pest that survives by penetrating the skin and feeding on the host’s blood. Sucking lice are generally dark in Sucking licecolor and typically found over the shoulders, down the animal’s neck, on the ears, dewlap or brisket. The shortnosed louse can complete its life cycle in about 28 days, although the time may range from 3–6 weeks.

Treatment in Ohio– The non-systemic insecticides are effective against all types of lice, whereas the avermectins, moxidectin and eprinomectin (systemic products) mainly kill sucking lice according to Lee Townsend, University of Kentucky Extension entomologist. Non systemic insecticides should be used from November 1st through early January if cattle were not previously treated for internal parasites (grubs). During this time there is a potential risk of choking, bloat, or paralysis from a response to cattle grubs dying in critical tissues within the animal if systemic insecticides are used.

Non-systemic insecticides come as pour-on products, dust bags, sprays and products for cattle rubs (like the pyrethroids cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin or permethrin) that can be used safely during the November to early January period. If non-systemic products are used, a second application is usually necessary in approximately 3 weeks to kill lice that were in the egg stage during the initial treatment. Read the label of the product being used to be sure of correct treatment procedures and note any withdrawal times that need followed.

Be sure to avoid parasite introductions onto the farm when purchasing new animals. Ask about previous history and management practices to reduce chances of unwanted parasites being brought in.

Is it Bagworms or Fall Webworms Damaging My Trees?

by at

   BAGWORMS

As Chris Penrose mentioned in a post last month, damage from bagworms is often seen this time of year by homeowners. Bagworms are the insects which make the pine-cone like structures at the ends of branches on many evergreen and other tree/shrub species in the landscape.  As the larva feeds and grows, often unnoticed throughout the summer, it enlarges the bag and begins to incorporate bits and pieces of plant material. By mid-August, the larvae are mature and they often move to a sturdy branch or other structure where they attach the bag firmly with a strong band of silk. We are now to the point where spraying insecticide on your tree or shrub at this time of year will not kill the larva inside the bag. Hand picking the bag at this time of year is the best strategy. The mature larvae usually attach their bags to a branch by wrapping extra silk, which does not decay rapidly. This band of silk may girdle the branch as it grows, resulting in dead branches several years later. Be sure to cut or scratch off this silk band when removing bags from a plant. FOR MORE DETAILS: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/pdf/2149.pdf

Bagworms

Fall Webworm

Another pest often noticed this time of year is the fall webworm. It is actually the second generation of nests that are being seen now. The first generation nests (usually in June-July) are seldom as numerous or as large in size as those produced by the second generation. First generation nests normally involve only a few leaves.  Female moths however, often lay their eggs on or near the nests from which they developed, thus second generation caterpillars expand the nests once occupied by first generation caterpillars. The second generation nests in Ohio typically reach their maximum size in the fall (late August thru October) which accounts for the common name. The fall webworm is not usually a serious pest in woodland forest stands, but infestations are of greatest concern to homeowners on shade, ornamental, and landscape trees. Here, loss of foliage and unsightly webs seriously reduce the aesthetics of the trees in the yard. In this circumstance, control of the fall webworm may be desirable. Control measures should be initiated when the webs and the larvae are small. Large webs make it difficult for insecticides to penetrate and contact the larvae within. Smaller larvae are also easier to kill. For effective control spray the web and the foliage surrounding the web. Many insecticides (such as (Sevin), orthene, BT or Malathion, etc.) may be used. Hand eradication is also possible when smaller webs are spotted early. Note…burning webs out of your trees with fire usually does more damage to the tree than the damage caused by the webworm. FOR MORE DETAILS: http://bygl.osu.edu/content/fall-webworm-update-0

Fallwebworm

Yellow Poplar Weevil

by at

Yellow Poplar Weevil

 

Recently I’ve noticed in Southeastern Ohio damaged leaves on Yellow Poplar, Sassafras and Magnolia trees.  This has also generated several calls to our Extension Offices.  The cause of this damage is the yellow poplar weevil.  These are tiny insects only about 2/16” long and are sometimes thought to be ticks at first glance.  Older trees will normally sustain the attack of these pests, but if you have newly planted trees in your landscape you may want to apply an insecticidal treatment.  The following links have additional information and control strategies:  http://entomology.osu.edu/bugdoc/Shetlar/factsheet/ornamental/FSyellowpopweevil.htm, http://bygl.osu.edu/content/yellow-poplar-weevil-2.

Carpenter Bees are Eating My House!

by at

The number one question that I have received over the last two weeks is “How do I manage the carpenter bees making all of the holes in the wood?”. These are pollinators. So, I usually recommend to discourage the bees and not kill them. Wood that is painted or coated with an oil stain can help, but not always. I prefer using a pyrethroid like permethrin to spray on the wood. As with most insects, they really dislike this and move on and, unfortunately, some may die if they get a big enough dose. Permethrin is found in many insect sprays, especially those made for horse stables and can be found at garden centers and farm stores. You will have to reapply every 10 days until nesting is done and everywhere that you don’t want the bees. You will also have to plug the holes as they will overwinter there in the fall. There are other recommended insecticides. If you would like a list please let us know. Here is a link to our fact sheet on Carpenter Bee management. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2074.html

I thought that I would include a few pictures to help tell the difference between carpenter bees and bumble bees. The carpenter bee on the left has a smooth, black rear end and the bumble bee on the right has a fuzzy, yellow-stripped or black rear end.

Carpenter bee