I swear this just happened overnight... but it could have been a couple of days since I took a close look at my young peach tree. white stuff on peach tree ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden ) Doesn't appear to be an insect... nothing was moving. I sprayed it with the stuff I was using on it and the apple earlier this year. Then wiped off what I could with paper towels. Then resprayed the whole tree. I did an online search and all I could find similar was someone suggested Woolly Apple Aphids. But like I said, I couldn't see any sign of life. Any clue what this stuff is and what should I do about it? Thanks in advance.
I have seen soimething like this before. It was Bark Lice. They are so small, that you may not be able to see an individual. They can sometimes form a web-like protection. for themselves. If it is bark lice, they are not harmful to people or the tree, it is just that some folks find their colonization unsightly.They are not parasitic. Actually, they are like a clean-up crew that go over the bark and clean it of impurities. Too bad that you haver already cleaned the white stuff up already. It would have been fun to have looked at a bit of the stuff under a microscope, or to have taken a macro foto. Ach wel, it are gone now, I imagine.
Sjoerd... I couldn't get all of it off. I'll try to get a macro photo. Bark lice huh? I'll have to do some reading. Sure doesn't look like something beneficial... but that eases my mind some.
Sjoerd... I did a little reading on the Bark Lice and looked at photos. Then checked the tree again. I really don't think it's any kind of insect. There is no web. I scraped off some more of the stuff and tried to get a close-up photo. But my camera isn't good for macros. I watched and scraped and watched some more. No signs of movement. Underneath the white stuff, it's kinda slimey brown. I did notice a couple of leaf-footed stink bugs on the leaves - which are beginning to drop now that our temperatures are getting cooler. Edited to add this: Might have found it. https://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg113.html I'm not sure these fruit trees my brother planted is worth the worry and work.
That was an interesting article, Cheryl. Dom you feel pretty sue that this is what was causing the white surface on your tree? This beast IS bad for trees. It was good that you could get rid of alot of the scale insects. I have never seen this over here.
The more I read and look, the more I'm convinced. Here's an excerpt from one site. "Scales are tiny sac-like insects with waxy coverings that have both male and female forms. The females lay eggs which hatch into crawlers that eventually move from beneath a parent scale to host leaves or fruit, feeding with threadlike sucking mouthparts. After feeding for 2 or 3 days, the young, or nymphs begin secreting coverings which enlarge as the young scale matures. After selecting a feeding site, females become immobile. Males on the other hand, following hatch and three weeks of immature maturation, emerge as winged insects and eventually mate with the sac-like stationary females. Males die soon after mating and the females go on to lay eggs, beginning another generation. Scale insects in all stages of development can exist throughout the year in Texas except during periods of extreme cold.>> Guess I need to get in touch with our county extension agent to see if they have any advice and/or more insight. :'(
Don1t see why that spray wont take care of them. You are adding the permethrin/pyrethrin to it aren`t you ?? Might make it a little stronger and spray weekly for the next month or so. It said the life cycle was about three weeks I think. Take a rag or something and wipe off what you can then spray every week !!
Mart.. Since it rained last night, I sprayed them again today. I'll mix up a new batch and add some extra permethrin/pyrethrin to it. I noticed last time I was at tractor supply they had some reasonably priced. It's getting harder and harder to find the dog shampoo with it. Do you think our brief freezing temps will kill them? I swear... this year has been the battle of the bugs and beasts! :twisted:
The waxy covering on them makes them impervious to insecticides. That is why you need to add a soap. It dissolves the wax and then the poison can get at them. In fact if you just spray with a horticultural soft soap, they will often die of dehydration. Mind whatever you use, it is a long term job, they take a while to get rid of. You could also try scrubbing the tree with Methylated spirits. If you are not into chemical control then it has been found that using a power jet, hard enough to wash the things off, but not so it damages the bark, helps.
I always add a squirt of soap to that spray so it will stick and not evaporate as quick. I can find the Seargeants dog shampoo/sprays here easily at dollar general. Most all feed stores carry livestock spray and that is the active ingredient in most all of it. Large bottle of horse fly and insect spray Is about $8.75 here for about one liter. Go for the cheap stuff if you get it. Don`t need all the stuff that is in the higher priced sprays.
Mart... I had to go to a couple of different stores to find the Sergeants with the pyrethrin (sp?) in it. I did go ahead and buy a bottle of permathrin (sp?) from tractor supply. Wasn't too pricey and now I won't have to waste time looking for the Sergeants. I also bought a big pack of ivory bar soap a while back. So I shaved off some of that... added in the Sergeants AND a couple extra tablespoons of the permathrin stuff... and gave the tree a good spraying. Should I spray it year 'round?
You can if you want to but I don`t. I do not spray in cold weather. I start early spring when leaves start growing. Every couple of weeks or so. When blooming and during fruit growth, about the same unless I see something crawling,creeping or growing on them. Then go to weekly or whenever you feel like doing it. One place I spray well is the trunk from ground up as far as I can reach. Keeps all the creepy crawlies off.
