Content
- The most common pests on the fruit tree - and what you can do about it
- The most common pests at a glance
- spider mites
- aphids
- Wool and mealybugs
- weevil
- Tips
Pests have fruit trees to eat
The most common pests on the fruit tree - and what you can do about it
Certain damage to the fruit tree is typical of certain animal pests. If the animal visitor has been identified, concrete measures can be taken.
The most common pests at a glance
Not every pest goes on any fruit tree, as many of these animals are fixed to a specific type of host. Nevertheless, there is a whole series that are little picky.
spider mites
Spider mites are barely visible to the naked eye. They are only up to 0.8 mm in size. The very mobile green, yellow or red creatures are predominantly on the underside of the leaves, where they form typical webs. They damage through juice withdrawal. The initially light speckles on leaves and shoots turn brown spots until they eventually wither and fall off. Combat: Cumshot (chemical means only at very high infestation!), Promote the natural antagonists such as predatory mites and robber bugs.
aphids
Aphids, of which there are several hundred different species, occur mainly on the undersides of young shoots. They damage the fruit tree by removing cell sap, but can also transmit harmful viruses and attract ants. Combat: Hard water jet spraying, pruning, beneficial insects such as ladybugs, parasitic wasps, hoverflies and birds.
Wool and mealybugs
There are several pests that cover the leaves and fruits with sticky excrements (the so-called honeydew). If it is an aphid, you will recognize it by the curled leaves. In the case of lice, on the other hand, the sticky deposits are usually the only noticeable symptoms. An infestation can also be seen in these pictures: on the leaves and partly also on the fruits show small, bright spots of suction, the leaves can also turn yellow and fall off in a strong infestation. The infested plant parts are heavily coated with honeydew and often blackish by Rußtaupilze. In addition, there are usually also numerous ants on the tree. Combat: pruning, inject in case of heavy infestation with oil-containing preparations.
weevil
This is a black-brown, about 10 millimeters long and flightless beetle. The also up to 10 millimeters long larvae are cream-colored to brownish white and have a reddish-brown head. Black-eared weevils are twilight and nocturnal. In case of disturbances they drop and are motionless for a moment. They crawl during the day in wall gaps, under mulch layers and other sheltered areas. The beetles eat holes in the leaf margins, the so-called bastards. However, much more damage is done to the fruit trees by the larvae: they eat off the fine roots. Control: Chemical control should take place in the evening. The use of nematodes (eg Heterorhabditis bacteriophora) has also proved to be very successful.
Tips
Also voles are dangerous plant pests. They gnaw on young roots, not infrequently but also on the bark of young fruit trees and shrubs. Affected trees are loose in the ground, branches or entire trees can die off. The fight takes place via traps and poison baits.