Last year I was hit pretty hard with PC on almoat all my fruits. Since that time I’ve purchased both Imidan and surround. Any advice on which is preferred and at what timing I should shoot for? Can either be sprayed pre-bloom up to popcorn stage? After that I suppose I should wait until shuck split or petal fall?
When I discovered PC damage last year is was shortly after petal fall.
Speedster:
I use Imidan on apples and stone fruits. I start using an insecticide at petal fall and continue until late june which is length of the curculio season in southern Wisconsin.
I have not had any major issues with curculio when using Imidan except if we have a lot of rain during the above timeframe mentioned. Then I may find a few scars on a few apples but not bad (cosmetic anyway).
I have not had any major curculio damage on peach or plum after spraying with Imidan. Years ago before switching to Imidan, I would get curculio damage on peach (sprayed malathion only at that time). I recall the curculio’s never bothered my peaches until June and the damage only started showing up when the peaches were about the size of a large olive.
Thanks Paul. I will will try to start spraying Imidan at petal fall when I see the tiniest fruitlets appear.
I use Imidan on Plums first cover at petal fall, second one ten days or so later both w a sticker. If I don’t the curculios attack en masse.
I believe they have one reproductive cycle (not sure), so two sprays have saved me for six or eight years. I used to have plum drop when the size of large olives, until I went out with a flashlight at night on the first 90 degree day and saw them flying around and then saw the quarter moon scar and hole on the dropped fruit. It took me what ten years to figure this out!
Now I deal with black knot on European plums and got Indar on this site to try to attack that. It begins to seem hopeless after a lifetime of fighting everything. I quit keeping bees this year after thirty years of raising bees… mites, hive beetles, viruses, dead colonies etc.