I've had an orchard for four years. This year, the tent caterpillars
have decided they are taking over. Can you tell me, besides using BT,
what are some other ways to get rid of these pests? Should I have
sprayed with BT earlier, like before they went into pink bud, or can I
spray now that they are blooming? What would make them come in this
year instead of last or the previous years?

Most things have boom and bust cycles, caterpillars are no different.
Wrap a kerosene soaked rag around a stick, light,and give the tents a
hot foot.

wrote:

I've had an orchard for four years. This year, the tent caterpillars
have decided they are taking over. Can you tell me, besides using BT,
what are some other ways to get rid of these pests? Should I have
sprayed with BT earlier, like before they went into pink bud, or can I
spray now that they are blooming? What would make them come in this
year instead of last or the previous years?

You don't want to spray any insecticides while the trees are blooiming, or you
will kill the benefical pollinators. You can
start spraying after petal fall.

I would try to kill the caterpillar eggs next winter with dormant oil. It will
smother the eggs, thus killing the pest.


Other insecticides that don't harm beneficial insects are insecticidal soaps,
spinosad (Conserve), and azadirachtim (Azatin). Aso, l insecticides include
carbaryl (Sevin), malathion, acephate (Orthene) and permethrin.

Sherwin D.

Just had another idea. There is a product called Tanglefoot which you can
spread
around the trunks in a band. The caterpillars who try and climb up the tree to
lay their eggs will get stuck in it. If you have young or thin bark trees, you
might want to
apply the tanglefoot to a closely wrapped band. Won't help you this year, but
possibly the next. This method also works for other critters that climb up your
trees to lay eggs like codling moth, procession caterpillars, and ants. .
Controlling ants reduces scale, aphids and mealy bug problems, as the ants
protect these pests.

Sherwin D.

wrote:

I've had an orchard for four years. This year, the tent caterpillars
have decided they are taking over. Can you tell me, besides using BT,
what are some other ways to get rid of these pests? Should I have
sprayed with BT earlier, like before they went into pink bud, or can I
spray now that they are blooming? What would make them come in this
year instead of last or the previous years?

wrote:

I've had an orchard for four years. This year, the tent caterpillars
have decided they are taking over. Can you tell me, besides using BT,
what are some other ways to get rid of these pests? Should I have
sprayed with BT earlier, like before they went into pink bud, or can I
spray now that they are blooming? What would make them come in this
year instead of last or the previous years?

Sorry for the multiple replies, but I recall that I'm having difficulty this
year with aphids. This could be because of the cool damp weather that has
prevented the
natural predators of aphids, like lady bugs and wasps from controlling their
numbers.
I don't know if this also holds true for tree caterpillars.

Sherwin D.

"sherwindu" wrote in message

Just had another idea. There is a product called Tanglefoot
which
you can spread
around the trunks in a band. The caterpillars who try and
climb up
the tree to lay their eggs will get stuck in it. If you have
young
or thin bark trees, you might want to
apply the tanglefoot to a closely wrapped band. Won't help you
this year, but possibly the next. This method also works for
other
critters that climb up your trees to lay eggs like codling
moth,
procession caterpillars, and ants. . Controlling ants reduces
scale, aphids and mealy bug problems, as the ants protect these
pests.

Sherwin D.

wrote:

I've had an orchard for four years. This year, the tent
caterpillars have decided they are taking over. Can you tell
me,
besides using BT, what are some other ways to get rid of
these
pests? Should I have sprayed with BT earlier, like before
they
went into pink bud, or can I spray now that they are
blooming?
What would make them come in this year instead of last or the
previous years?

Caterpillars don't lay eggs.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5

you can spray with Bt, a live bacteria that only targets caterpillars at any time of
the year. Ingrid

wrote:

I've had an orchard for four years. This year, the tent caterpillars
have decided they are taking over. Can you tell me, besides using BT,
what are some other ways to get rid of these pests? Should I have
sprayed with BT earlier, like before they went into pink bud, or can I
spray now that they are blooming? What would make them come in this
year instead of last or the previous years?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan

"Travis M." wrote:

"sherwindu" wrote in message

Just had another idea. There is a product called Tanglefoot
which
you can spread
around the trunks in a band. The caterpillars who try and
climb up
the tree to lay their eggs will get stuck in it. If you have
young
or thin bark trees, you might want to
apply the tanglefoot to a closely wrapped band. Won't help you
this year, but possibly the next. This method also works for
other
critters that climb up your trees to lay eggs like codling
moth,
procession caterpillars, and ants. . Controlling ants reduces
scale, aphids and mealy bug problems, as the ants protect these
pests.

Sherwin D.

wrote:

I've had an orchard for four years. This year, the tent
caterpillars have decided they are taking over. Can you tell
me,
besides using BT, what are some other ways to get rid of
these
pests? Should I have sprayed with BT earlier, like before
they
went into pink bud, or can I spray now that they are
blooming?
What would make them come in this year instead of last or the
previous years?

Caterpillars don't lay eggs.

OK, I got confused about the life cycle of these caterpillars. It is the
moths that lay the eggs.
For that case, I might try spraying with dormant oil in the late Winter or
very early
Spring, to smother the eggs. This would require the penetration of the tent
with the sprayer
wand.

For anyone interested in the life cycle of these pests, check the following
web site:

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/ent...rees/ef423.htm

This and other sites recommend a few ways to counter this pest, and I am not
sure why they do not
recommend dormant oil as an alternate treatment. Maybe they feel that
something like BT
is more effective in killing the eggs.

Sherwin D.



--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5

From what I found, you can't just simply spray the tree with BT. You have to penetrate
the tent with your spray wand to be effective.

Sherwin D.

wrote:

you can spray with Bt, a live bacteria that only targets caterpillars at any time of
the year. Ingrid

wrote:

I've had an orchard for four years. This year, the tent caterpillars
have decided they are taking over. Can you tell me, besides using BT,
what are some other ways to get rid of these pests? Should I have
sprayed with BT earlier, like before they went into pink bud, or can I
spray now that they are blooming? What would make them come in this
year instead of last or the previous years?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan

Sray BT in the tent. It will only kill Caterpillers and is safe. You can
get it in liquid or powder.

Mel & Donnie down in Bluebird Valley In the middle of beautiful down
town Yountsville. Managers of the water works.
http://community.webtv.net/MelDKelly/doc

http://community.webtv.net/MelDKelly/MelDonniesBluebird

What is "BT" please - the full name.

I want to google it to find out more.

Ether Jones wrote:

What is "BT" please - the full name.

I want to google it to find out more.

Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki

Sherwin D.

Thanks.

I read the MSDS and it doesn't sound too scary.

Is this stuff available to the general public, or do you need to have
some sort of license to buy it? I've never seen anything in the
mega-stores or the local garden stores with BT listed in the
ingredients.

I have a lot of black cherry trees, and the tent caterpillars are a
problem.

"Ether Jones" expounded:


Thanks.

I read the MSDS and it doesn't sound too scary.

Is this stuff available to the general public, or do you need to have
some sort of license to buy it? I've never seen anything in the
mega-stores or the local garden stores with BT listed in the
ingredients.

I have a lot of black cherry trees, and the tent caterpillars are a
problem.

BT is a biological control, it won't hurt people at all, only
caterpillars.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

walk into gardening store and ask for it. they got it. bacillus thuringiensis (sp
may be off). Ingrid

"Ether Jones" wrote:


Thanks.

I read the MSDS and it doesn't sound too scary.

Is this stuff available to the general public, or do you need to have
some sort of license to buy it? I've never seen anything in the
mega-stores or the local garden stores with BT listed in the
ingredients.

I have a lot of black cherry trees, and the tent caterpillars are a
problem.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan