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Old 15-06-2008, 09:24 PM posted to rec.gardens
zxcvbob zxcvbob is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 535
Default How to prevent worms in apples

Zootal wrote:
"SteveB" toquerville@zionvistas wrote in message
...

Here is yet another apple tree question. My old apple tree has a
bazillion
apples on it. Question: Exactly what do I do to it to keep worms from
eating
the apples? Every year, almost every apple has one or more worms in it.
Is
there a spray that can be safely used? And - here is the important
question
that I haven't found an answer to - exactly how do I go about applying
it,
IE what equipment do I need? This tree is 30-40 feet tall, and 30+ feet
across, it's quite large. My wife bought me a hand sprayer (bless her
soul
LOL), but it isn't quite up to the task. How do I spray a huge apple
tree?

Many worms lay their eggs in the flowers, and the worms eat their way OUT
of the apple. Noting can be done after the fruit sets.

Steve



So am I basically SOL? Is it too late for this years crop?

Of all of the worms that typically infest apples, how many are already
there, and how many can I prevent by spraying?

If diazanon is evil, what are the alternatives?




Check with your county agent (remember Mr. Kimball on "Green Acres"?) or
your state agricultural extension service web site. They should have a
spray schedule for apples for your area. Early sprays are for fungal
diseases and apple curculio. Summer sprays are for "apple maggots".

Here in Minnesota, the serious damage is done by apple maggots, in mid-
to late-summer. (that's why I switch to Diazanon in the summer, it is
more persistent than Sevin or Malathion)

The pest that aggrivates me the most is a new one; Asian lady beetles.
After the first frost when most of the other small insects are gone for
the year, the ALB's attack my apples.

"Organically grown" apples is a nice concept, but it doesn't really work
unless you are just making cider. There's something called "Integrated
Pest Management" that can greatly reduce the amount of pesticides that
you use. It mostly involves good orchard hygiene and continual
monitoring for pests so you spray at precisely the right time instead of
spraying prophylactically.

Bob