Spraying mulberries

General Fruit Growing
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Has anyone figured out how to get rid of bugs on mulberries? I’m on a bit of a diet and trying to limit the number of stinkbugs that I eat.

There are several insecticides with PHE for berries of 3-7 days but nothing specifically for mulberries because it’s not grown commercially for fruit. I saw some pesticides approved for mulberries but only for livestock forage.

I’m also worried that any pesticides could get stuck between the drupelets and will just dry out into concentrated powder again. Incidentally, I’m trying to limit pure pesticide powder in my diet too :sweat_smile:

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@Brisco
“Evergreen EC” is labeled for all produce and has Stink Bugs on the label.
“Ortho Fruit Tree & Shrub Spray” is the consumer version.

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Thanks! I really didn’t think there was anything that could be done about the bugs but decided to ask anyway and you delivered!

We don’t have PBO here but I will try pyrethrins (the main component in Evergree EC). They degrade so quickly that I’m not worried about any harmful effects.

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@Brisco
The pyrethrins on their own are very weak. The PBO speeds up the pest metabolism to the point that the pyrethrins are injurious. For some larvae (e.g. aphids) the PBO kills them outright.

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what bugs are you finding on your mulberries? We have several wild white mulberries on my property and we eat them straight off the tree. never had a problem with bugs.

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I can try to get some PBO and mix them myself then. Thank you for letting me know about the pyrethrins being weak on their own, because I was thinking of using them on my grapes too.

The main problem are the stinkbugs. They don’t seem to cause significant damage to the fruit but I can sure smell them when I’m eating them (the mulberries).

I don’t know why the smell lingers for so long or if they are laying eggs on the berries and that’s where the stinkbug flavor comes from. When I step on a stinkbug the smell is gone in an hour but by the end of the season I’d estimate up to a tenth of ripe mulberries have at least a light smell.

Sounds like it’s not a lot but makes the mulberry eating experience more unpleasant than it should be.

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I’ve got stink bugs and they completely ruin my raspberries, and I know exactly the smell/flavor you’re talking about!

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Yes this is needed to make pyrethins work.That’s why most pyrethtins sprays have it packaged in.

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This happens to my raspberries as well. You bite into a raspberry and you can tell immediately that a stink bug got to it.

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I double checked and with locally available pesticides, PBO is only packaged with cypermethrin, which a bit more serious than pyrethrins. I can try to get some insecticide shipped internationally but it may be too much of a hassle.

Yeah, they attack my raspberries too but for me it’s not as bad.

Until I started this thread I assumed stinkbugs just naturally went with mulberries and people who had mulberry trees were just tolerated them because there was no cure :laughing:

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