On the Radio 2GB gardening program today, a caller phoned in to say that
his citrus tree was infested with the bronze orange beetles so he sprayed
the tree with a dilution of Pine-O-Clean and the beetles 'disappeared'.
I take it that by this he meant they were killed off. Most gardeners with
a citrus tree know the frustration of having to stand by and watch your
small fruit dropping off as these bugs suck them dry.

The Pine-O-Clean tip might be useful for someone in a similar situation to
try out, as common wisdom has it that the adult beetle's shell is just too
impenetrable for most insecticide sprays to have any effect and the only way
to rid your tree of the bugs is to pick them off one by one. (Wear eye
protection, as they can squirt a caustic jet into your face.) But just when
you think you have picked them all off, more fly in from the neighbours'.

Sometimes the simplest solution can be the best. I'd experiment with the
dilution, testing it on only one branch first then waiting a few days to
make sure the tree wasn't going to defoliate!
--
John Savage (for email, replace "ks" with "k" and delete "n")