Having fruit trees in the orchard and / or in the garden is wonderful, since you have the opportunity to enjoy the authentic taste of food, as long as you use natural products to take care of them, of course . But as much as you spoil them, sometimes parasitic insects appear, and if we do nothing to prevent them, they can weaken them too much.
If we take this into account, it is very important to know what are the pests of the apple treeone of the most cultivated trees for its beauty but above all for its fruit.
The apple tree is, in general, a very resistant fruit tree, but when the climate is rather dry and / or warm, or it does not receive the necessary care, some insects will take advantage of its weakness to do more damage to it. Which are? These:
Mites
Specifically, mites of the species Panonychus ulmi y Tetranychus urticae (Red spider). They are very small, about 0,5cm, so to see them well it is necessary to use a magnifying glass. These insects they feed on the cells of the leaveswhere there are discolored spots and, sometimes, also fine cobwebs.
Treatment is by spraying potassium soap (get it here!) diluted in water.
carcocapsa
It is a moth whose scientific name is Cydia pomonella. In the adult state it is not harmful, but their larvae feed on the pulp of the fruitsand they can cause the entire harvest to be lost.
For this reason, preventive treatments must be carried out with insecticidal oil (for sale No products found.) in early spring.
Fruitfly
La fruit fly, belonging to the species Ceratitis capitataIt is the typical insect that takes advantage of any crack, even if it is tiny and almost invisible to us, to leave its eggs there that hatch quickly. Once they do, they feed on the pulp.
To avoid this, it is also highly advisable to do preventive treatments with insecticidal oil.
San Jose louse
Image – EPPO
It is an insect known by the scientific name A destructive quadruped and the common San José louse. In its adult phase it is like a small blackish-brown shield with rounded shape attached to the branches, leaves and fruits, from where it feeds.
As a treatment you can sprinkle diatomaceous earth (on sale here!), which is made up of microscopic algae made from silica, which is the material from which glass is made. Once they come into contact with the parasite, they pierce their protective ‘skin’, causing them to die of dehydration.
I hope that now you can have your apple tree very healthy.
