Hi everyone:
After 4 years of getting rather nice apples it was pretty obvious they would finally come…
With 30 apple trees I don’t really see myself putting about 150 of those red glued spheres on my trees. So which insecticides could do the job? I read about Imidan but it could be difficult to buy because I’m not a commercial orchard… Will visit the U.S next august. Is Imidan or other alternative insecticides not known to me sold in hardware store (Lowe, Home Depot etc.)?
Thanks a lot!
Marc
I don’t know about the apple maggot but I’ve been lucky with spinosad and Spectracide once and done for codling moth. Timing is key. Spinosad has a short efficacy period but some reach back, and Once & Done has a long working period but no reach back. They work by different mechanisms and complement each other pretty well. Both are readily available.
I use the timing recommendations of our local county extension, spraying a mix of the two when she advises. Getting the first generation minimizes, but doesn’t eliminate, the later generations.
Some people maintain that they can control codling moth with well-timed dormant oil sprays but I don’t know how well that’s been established.
Import and passenger-boarding restrictions might bite you even for very small quantities of pesticides. You could try to order from the U.S. to see whether any distributors would be comfortable exporting to your country. Otherwise, I’d say stick to pesticides available locally. Codling moth and (probably) apple maggot are global problems for apple growers, so you can be guided by what works in other parts of the world.
Yes, figuring out what pesticides are available and effective in your area can be daunting. In the United States, your best regional guidance is provided by the County Cooperative Extension Agent of your state Land-Grant College. Overseas you probably have equivalent quasi-governmental authorities whose mission is to help.
As far as references go, the one you want is:
I maintain a Web page in tribute to the codling moth, including a gloss of chemical control strategies.
For codling moth the bud zapper plugged in just before dawn and dusk when they take flight seems to solve my problem here. So I have it on a timer when my apples reach the size of a quarter. For the apple fly maggot I start applying Surround WP about the same time. It takes three applications to get a thick coat on each fruit. It’s very effective if each fruit it well coated, so I need to spray weekly as fruit grows and immediately after a rain shower to control the maggot.
Dennis
Kent, Wa