After the first Surround spray at shuck split, I was unable to get the second spray in in a timely manner.
By the time I got around to 2nd thinning, I have noticed that almost all my peaches have these damages. They looked like something scratching peach skin.
I cut them up the damages seemed to be only skin deep. I found a few of these tiny bugs on a few fruit. Are they the culprit?
Well, it looks like I am the only one whose peaches got hit by this unidentified problem.
I think it’s insect damage, not diseases. I’ve only sprayed Surround and sulfur so I don’t think it’s chemical damage, either.
The insect in the picture looks like a fly. I can’t figure out what kind yet. I don’t know if this was the culprit. Flies tends to do damage when fruit is ripening. The damage on young peaches like this probably were done by other insects.
Wish someone knew.
I’ve never had PC but that looks like a possibility.
Wow…never had any damage like that, nor have I seen photos like that. Don’t know what that fly is either. Mamuang, try sending off your photos to the Kearneysville Fruit Research Station. They have an entomology department there and maybe they could identify it.
Sorry to see that happen. It looks more like stinkbug damage than anything else, but it seems a bit different than usual stinkbug injury.
Agree with Scott looks like stink bugs probably
Brown marmorated stink bugs.
It looks more like a fungal problem than insect damage.
That is stinkbug damage I am close to certain. Really, really sucks. If the brown sinks into the flesh it is probably BMS, I think. Had the same thing at a couple of sites last year and had photos sent to Cornell and that was the verdict.
Thank you evreyone for your responses. Even before I posted here, I searched the Net for info.
I am also inclined to believe it is caused by stink bugs. I do not see many of them around but, boy, what a damage they have done. 95-98% of my PF 24 C got damaged. Autumn Star got about 80% damage.
What do you spray against them?
Maybe, I should send pics to UMass Extension.
If it’s BMS probably the best thing you can purchase is malathion, based on info Applenut supplied recently on the BMS issue. The problem is they pretty much need to be on the fruit when you spray them.
Scott suggests that Surround works reasonably well and at least it has some endurance.
Green stink bugs can probably be treated with triazicide. I’ve knocked them down with Asana- a similar pyrethroid.
Thank, alan.
The thing is I hardly see any of them around. I checked my trees almost daily like most of us do. I am so upset right now with those SOBs.
I offer sympathy. Those are tough pics to see.
Thanks, Brethil for your moral support. Hundreds of them like that.
I could not get 2nd spray in. It was a week of 15-20 mph wind from dawn to dusk, then rain. The perfect day were the day I had to work.
Well, at least, Surround may help if I get it in time next year. If not, chemical, here I come.
I did some Googling. Found this site:
Lots of info. I had no idea they were SUCH a huge problem, I have been so focused on other pests. I will be on the lookout now since you are not that far from me. I have a viburnum stand near my Spy tree that may be a laying ground by what I read - going to examine the leaves for eggs tomorrow. Death to BMSB.
Mamuang,
Sorry to here about your peach damaged. I hope you get those bad guys!! I have other issue here like mosquito this year because of a real wet Spring. I had to spray myself from head to toe after dusk or else being eating alive in the back yard.
Tony
Brethil,
I’ve known about BMSB as I have read from other posters since we were at Gardenweb. I’ve thought I was safe because I hardly see any. Well, either it’s a brown, a green or any stinkbugs (or any beetles), they did do severe damages.
I have not seen pics of BMSB on peaches like the ones I have. They look awful. I bagged some with not much damages. I’d like to find out if the peaches will rot or just grow and have superficial damages only. We’ll see.
Tony - Thanks for the support. My friend, a gardener, told me she bought a clip-on mosquito repellant. It was a battery-operated small device that you clip on your belt. She said it worked. Don’t know if it’s a better option than spraying yourself.
Article I read cites Azera:
‘The combination of neem and pyrethrins (Azera™) can be used in organic agriculture (Jacobs 2014).’
I don’t know if I read about it here or if I am confusing it with something similar-sounding (The Asana mentioned earlier?) I wonder if layering neem and pyrethrins has same effect.
Where I had the worst,BMS damage I never found more than a couple on the trees whereas with green stinkbugs the instars have been all over the place- on every peach- they are evident before the crop is severely damaged.
Jellyman from Garden Web had no luck with bagging fruit from BMSB. Last I heard from him he gave up on the whole business of growing fruit because of a single season where he lost everything to BMS wounds made through the bags.
Scott sees them in his orchard but doesn’t suffer too much damage and I believe his only deterrent is Surround.
That’s a heavy loss to a bad bug right there. 
I enjoyed his posts for a long time over at GW.
