@LarryGene at el,
What is this insect? It is pretty big compare to other wasps and bees I have seen. Is it a friend or foe?
Found it out. Great Golden Digger wasp, nice name. Benign and gentle so I let it go.
2 Likes
Looking for some help in my small orchard. I planted a few trees in the Fall of 2015, Spring of 2016 and Spring of 2017. So, none of the trees are very old. I’ve been keeping a photo album of all the issues I’ve been seeing so please see the link for photos.
I think I have several things going against me and I’m not sure where to start or what to do. I was in touch with my local university extension but the guy, with whom I was communicating, seems to have dropped off the face of the planet.
Things I think/know I have:
- I think I have some of the same ailments as what @PA_Fruit_Grower photographed. I can’t tell if that’s a calcium deficiency or something else.
- I know I have Cedar Apple Rust (CAR) but I know CAR doesn’t typically hurt the trees too bad.
- I may also have Frogeye leaf spot.
- I see damage from Japanese beetles.
Does anyone else see anything I’m missing or failed to mention?
The sprays I’m using (listed below) don’t seem to do a lot to help. Am I using the wrong product(s)? Is there something better/stronger?
Sprays I’m using:
- Agri-Fos (systemic fungicide applied every 8-12 weeks)
- Bonide Fruit Tree Spray (foliar spray applied every week or so - weather permitting)
- Monterey Fruit Tree & Vegetable Systemic Soil Drench (systemic insecticide applied annually)
I use Stark’s Tre-Pep a couple times in the spring and early summer to help with root development. I dropped about 10-20 pounds of mulched manure around the drip-line of the trees a few months ago. I typically spread some high-calcium lime around the drip-line of the trees a couple times a year - especially when I know there’s a good, soaking rain coming.
I’m trying to get a handle on these issues but, as you can see from those photos, I’m failing. I visit local orchards and see big, healthy leaves and then I come home to see my trees and cringe. My great-grandfather grew apples. My grandfather grew apples. My father grows apples elsewhere in the state. What am I missing or doing wrong??
Hi there,
My advice is for you to create a new thread about your apple issues. Title it something like “Several Apple Problems, Help, please”, or something like that.
A new thread will attract those with apple experience. There are a lot of them in this forum. You are likely to get more answers with a new thread than posting here IMHO.
RichardRoundtree:
One of the Long-Horned Beetles. Tragidion coquus.
1 Like
Looks like a Blister Beetle,possibly Epicauta floridensis or Epicauta fabricii.The adults eat flowers and leaves.bb
1 Like
I usually get the striped blister beetles, not these solid colored ones. Shoulda squished em when i had the chance. Thanks @Bradybb.
Of the two proposed by Bradybb, E. fabricii is the more likely one, occuring in Kansas.
https://bugguide.net/node/view/245350
^ scroll down to food; includes potato
So, it definitely looks like a stink bug nymph. Probably not BMSB but I could be wrong. Generally, we worry about them damaging fruit–but they are sap suckers too. My question, in sufficient number could they cause vascular or at least shoot tip damage?
I’ve got stink bug nymphs on my milkweed plants…got some good shots:
1 Like
I saw this little monster when I was photographing bees and wasps on the laurel hedge. I hope my socks work. There is nothing I can do about neighbors who neglect their trees
Fruitfly, genus Rhagoletis.
Looks identical to R. pomonella, the apple maggot fruit fly.
https://bugguide.net/node/view/15251/bgimage?from=240
Pest.
2 Likes
The moth that looks like a hornet? The hornet moth or hornet clearwing ( Sesia apiformis ).bb
1 Like
Maybe ?
Goldenrod soldier beetle
4 Likes
That’s probably the one.bb