Glad that you also posted it on the InsectID thread. A lot of insect experts on that thread.
You also should contact Colorado State U extension service to see if the could identify this issue for you. From the location and type of damage, it did not look like the work of atwig borer or a peachtree borer.
You have a good extension service. Hope they could help you figure it out.
The scare tape fence was unable to discourage some daring birds. They have started to peck on my Black Gold Sweet cherries. We have to put up any netting today. Otherwise, we won’t get to eat any.
Tippy, we don’t have peaches/nectarines this year, and have limited plums due to the weather this year. I will post some pictures of berries which is ripening right now
I just finished bagging nectarines and peaches yesterday.
I thinned twice before bagging time. Still there were a bucket full of fruitlets I had to thin off while bagging. This is a 5 gallon of HD bucket with nectarines from one tree.
Yes, a lot of my nectarines and peaches have similar deformities. I’d say that pest pressure here in CT is much higher than what it was in Wilmington, DE.
Hate to admit this, but I didn’t even know what caused this. But yes, I have a couple nects that absolutely look just like this, so I guess I do have a thrip problem!
The strange thing is that some of my nects get them and some don’t. These are all trees within 100 feet of each other and all get the same spray treatments. Go figure?!?
The scare tape is tied on to the tree limb edges and goes all the way to the ground (no poles are used, the “fence” is made of tape only). I think your tape pieces are too short, I never had good luck with shorter pieces, they are not “fencing” off the tree if they are short. The tape should touch or get near the ground so the tape makes a fence around the tree and birds won’t come in from the bottom. They will only peck some of the cherries on the top.
Why do you think that is thrip damage?. My guess is that it is weather related. If it is thrips, I’ve never had an insect going from non-existent as a pest to suddenly being a huge pest in orchards all over my region as far as 70 miles apart. This usually happens much more gradually.
My first thought was that it was from the temp nose-dive in mid-march causing embryo damage because most of my yellow nects flowered nicely but bore almost no fruit, but I’m also seeing a lot of big cracking (on white nectarines) with it now so maybe it was from too many consecutive days of rain.
The damage looks like thrip damage. I have had this type of damage on nectarines every year, not just this year. The feeding time of western flower thrips is done during flowering so I don’t want to spray in order to avoid killing bees, too.
I can live with thrip damage nectarines for personal consumption. They may damage peaches but I have not noticed the damage on my peaches.
I don’t have a magnifying glass.
@thecityman
Thrips are in flowers during their feeding time. It causes dilemma re. spraying. Maybe, they may be attracted to certain varieties of nectarines than others.
Scott,
How many rolls of tape for one tree? . It is very helpful to see the pic re. How it is done. Thank you. When I plant new cherry trees, I will keep this method in mind.
Your tree is much bigger than mine and your orchard is so well-kept. My little orchard look like a jungle!!
“The second critical monitoring period is when the first fruit ripens. Count the number of adult thrips on 10 fruits at each of five sites per orchard.”
This suggests to me that thrips remain on the fruit throughout the ripening process, but maybe they return. My first nects ripen in a couple of weeks and I will check again.