Wooly aphids infest my apple tree every year. Can anyone recommend a
good, widely available systemic insecticide that can be mixed with
water and sprayed on the tree when the first leaves appear in spring
and again in the summer? Insecticides for fruit trees seem more
difficult to find in the d-i-y stores nowadays.

Ernie,
Wooly aphid is a sod.
Sorry but I think that there are no systemic insecticides available for
fruit available to the amateur grower any more.
They say you can use strong jests of water but the only effective
treatment I can offer is a paintbrush and some methylated spirits. Dip
the brish in the sirit and just scrub the infestation. This is how I do
it and if you are thorough it does last most of the season.
Due to their wooly coats, they are though things for contact sprays,
need a thorough wetting.
Commercially a nicotine spray is used. I do not know of an amateur
spray that is approved.
Sorry
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

No, but similar in that they are both sap suckers
Woolly Aphid = Eriosoma lanigerum
Mealy bugs= Pseudococcus viburni (as found in in glasshouses and
indoer plants in Britain)

Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Thanks Clifford. I was using Bio Fruit Spray made by Pan Brittanica
Industries (now taken over by Sumitomo) quite effectively but that
product was withdrawn in 2002 because of an EC ban on the chemical it
contained. I tried using methylated spirits applied with a
toothbrush but it was only effective for a couple of weeks and then
had to be done again and again. I've also tried spraying with water
mixed with some liquid detergent and white spirit. While this seems
to wash away the wooly deposits, they reappear after a few days --
even more quickly than after the toothbrush cum methylated spirits
treatment.


On 25 Mar 2006 10:33:06 -0800, "cliff_the_gardener"
wrote:

Ernie,
Wooly aphid is a sod.
Sorry but I think that there are no systemic insecticides available for
fruit available to the amateur grower any more.
They say you can use strong jests of water but the only effective
treatment I can offer is a paintbrush and some methylated spirits. Dip
the brish in the sirit and just scrub the infestation. This is how I do
it and if you are thorough it does last most of the season.
Due to their wooly coats, they are though things for contact sprays,
need a thorough wetting.
Commercially a nicotine spray is used. I do not know of an amateur
spray that is approved.
Sorry
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

cliff_the_gardener writes
No, but similar in that they are both sap suckers
Woolly Aphid = Eriosoma lanigerum
Mealy bugs= Pseudococcus viburni (as found in in glasshouses and
indoer plants in Britain)

Both in order Hemiptera, suborder Homoptera, but different families - is
that right?
--
Kay

Sorry to hear that the methylated spirits isn't working, can only
suggest you keep at it. They over winter as aphids in the bark so
persistence is the key. The alcohol should be effective as it destorys
the eggs as well as killing the insects.
Are the aphids appearing around pruning cuts or other breaks in the
bark?
If so, after the meths has dried, apply a paste of Bordeaux mixture to
the cut. This will help to stop any secondary fungal infections -
particully canker.
The meths approach is far more effective than blasting the blighters
off with a jet of water, so I would stick with it.
Good luck
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Kay - you have me there, I haven't a clue.
Only guilty of knowing some pests names and how to restore order,
rather than being an entamolgist.
Consulting the books -
Mealy bugs -
Order- Hemiptera:
sub Order Homoptera
Family Pseudococcidae
..
Wooly aphid (aka American Blight! curtesy of my childhood copy of the
Observer Book of Insects)
Order- Hemiptera:
sub Order Homoptera
Family Aphididae
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Can the meths be applied before the first wooly deposits appear as a
preventative measure? If so which parts of the apple tree should be
treated? What should I concentrate on? I like the meths approach. It
is cheaper than the commercial solution. TIA.

On 25 Mar 2006 14:34:39 -0800, "cliff_the_gardener"
wrote:

Sorry to hear that the methylated spirits isn't working, can only
suggest you keep at it. They over winter as aphids in the bark so
persistence is the key. The alcohol should be effective as it destorys
the eggs as well as killing the insects.
Are the aphids appearing around pruning cuts or other breaks in the
bark?
If so, after the meths has dried, apply a paste of Bordeaux mixture to
the cut. This will help to stop any secondary fungal infections -
particully canker.
The meths approach is far more effective than blasting the blighters
off with a jet of water, so I would stick with it.
Good luck
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

The meths acts as a contact insecticide, so no it has no residual
effect. Scrubbing the things produces a purple dye, looks like you
have had your hands dipped in blackberries.
As far as cost goes, it depends on how many trees you have to spray. A
bottle of meths cost ???£1.50, so for a few trees, it is cheaper.
If you have a spraying licence, and have an orchard then around £28
for a litre of Nicotine spray. Can only get it if you have a spaying
licence. Only cost effective if you have a lot of trees to deal with.
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

in 2004 i had a real problem with aphids causing leaf curl on my plum tree, it looked awful as all the leaves curled up and went brown, and i feared for the tree's survival. After doing lots of reading the best advice i could find was to use a systemic and spray just before the flower buds break open. i did it last year in late jan and it worked very well as only one stem on one branch had the problem. this year i sprayed last monday, amazing how much the cold winter has delayed everything.

anyways as someone above has said they overwinter in the bark, but apparently as the buds start to swell on the tree they start their seasonal life cycle.

as yours is an apple which come into spring later than plums your leaf buds probably haven't started to swell. however when they do just use any systemic that kills wooly aphids as this should stop them before they start. thereafter just keep checking, and spray again if you need to.

that said due to the amount of sprays i've given my tree i wouldn't eat the plums, but as its the only mature tree in my back garden it gives real structure so i wouldn't contemplate removing it

Tiger,
what spray have you used?
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Please tell what systemic insecticide you used and where you got it.
I can't find any in B&Q or any of the other d-i-y sheds.

On Mon, 27 Mar 2006 10:37:51 +0000, Tiger303
wrote:


in 2004 i had a real problem with aphids causing leaf curl on my plum
tree... After doing lots of reading the best
advice i could find was to use a systemic and spray just before the
flower buds break open. i did it last year in late jan and it worked
very well as only one stem on one branch had the problem. this year i
sprayed last monday, amazing how much the cold winter has delayed
everything.

anyways as someone above has said they overwinter in the bark, but
apparently as the buds start to swell on the tree they start their
seasonal life cycle.

as yours is an apple which come into spring later than plums your leaf
buds probably haven't started to swell. however when they do just use
any systemic that kills wooly aphids as this should stop them before
they start. thereafter just keep checking, and spray again if you need
to.

apologies for the delay in replying, but i use this one http://www.bayergarden.co.uk/products/242/1
theres a where to buy button bottom left on page

PLEASE ENSURE when spraying that you do it just as goes dark to stop it killing other insects which are about in the day. i'm sure the organic lot here would say don't use this stuff at all as it gets into the plant and anything that attacks the plant for next 8 weeks is dead. i therefore only use the systemic as last resort, ie on my plum tree which was at death's door due to leaf curl aphids and only now is starting to recover.

Tiger
Thanks for letting us know
I was supprised by this as the active ingredient imidacloprid has had a
restricted use commercially. I had a look on the Pesticides Safety
Directorates web site and got the following regarding Pravado Ultimate
Bug Killer:
https://secure.pesticides.gov.uk/pestreg/ProdList.asp
It is approved for
aubergine (protected), house plant, ornamental garden plants, pepper
(protected), tomato (protected)

In fairness the pack instructions do not say you can use it on apples,
it says for the control of greenfly, blackfly, lily beetle, woolly
aphid, whitefly, mealy bug, scale insects.
Then goes on to say
Use on ornamental garden plants and house plants
Use on glasshouse tomatoes, aubergines and peppers,

Unfortunately it is not licenced for food crops except tomatoes,
peppers and aubergines

Sorry,

Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

On the PSA website I typed apple as the crop and searched that.
Came up with 66 product approved for use on/around apples. Most are
weedkillers
Could only find contact insecticides
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire