Figs or Ficus carica belong to the Moraceae family, which includes more than 1,000 species. Figs are known to have been cultivated for thousands of years thanks to remains found in Neolithic excavations dating back to 5,000 BC and despite their ancient history, they are not exempt from many of the same fig insect pests that they plague the tree today.
The key to fig pest control is learning how to identify common fig pests. The common fig tree is a deciduous tree, a shrub grown for its delicious fruit , although the fruit of the fig tree is not actually a fruit. , but rather a syconium or fleshy hollow area with small flowers on its inner walls .
Index
- 1 Learn more about figs
- 2 Other pests found on fig trees are:
Learn more about figs
Coming from Western Asia, fig trees and depending on the conditions, can live from fifty to seventy years with a reliable production, being a condition that could prevent their longevity the infestation of pests in them, one of the most common pests is the nematode , specifically root-knot nematode and dagger nematode, as these reduce tree growth and yield.
In the tropics, nematodes are combated by planting the fig near a wall or building to allow roots to grow under the building , thwarting nematode damage. Instead of planting close to a structure, heavy mulching can deter nematodes as can the proper application of nematicides.
Other pests found on fig trees are:
The carpenter worm, the dark ground beetle, the dried fruit beetle, the Freeman’s sap beetle, the confused sap beetle, the fig beetle or the fig tree beetle.
There are several plans of attack when dealing with bugs on figs and not all pests can be controlled, however, the fig tree borer lays its eggs near the base of a branch and the resulting larvae then hatch and hatch. a tunnel in the tree, once the larvae are in the tree, control is extremely difficult .
Insecticide can be injected into the tunnels with a syringe, but this is time-consuming and demanding, so the best defense against borers is a good offense, enclosing the bottom of the tree in a net to prevent the females lay their eggs on the bark.
You should also cover the top of the net with Vaseline-coated aluminum foil; treating insects, such as nut beetles or spider mites on figs, may require spraying.
Nut beetles or sap beetles include related species such as the Freeman and the confused sap beetle, these are small black to brown beetles that may or may not have spotted wings and when they feed on figs, the Fruit falls to the ground and becomes more attractive to other pests, also often becoming infected with Aspergillus , a fungal disease that can affect fruit ripening.
To combat these beetle pests, you should set bait traps before fig ripening.
When the traps have done most of the work, spray the tree with an insecticide containing malathion in a sugar or water solution according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stay away from the sprayed area for at least twelve hours and don’t harvest figs for three days , as both the Pacific spider mite and the two-spotted spider mite can affect a fig tree.
Both insects are yellowish-green with black spots and feed on the undersides of fig leaves .
