C.A. Young
Sapling
I may be mistaken, but is there no section devoted to pest management? Would anyone care to discuss what works for e.g. scale, spider mite, mealy bugs, aphids, etc...?
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Pests
- Thread starter C.A. Young
- Start date
bonsaibp
Omono
You're liable to get better answers if the question is more specific- what pest, what tree?
There are many variables.
There are many variables.
Poink88
Imperial Masterpiece
The old scrape and squish works well on all of them 
Sometimes a good spray of water is sufficient.
I find using milk diluted with water 50%-50% and a little dishwashing liquid works too. The lactic acid is supposed to eat through the exoskeleton of the insects, eventually killing them.
Neem oil diluted in water with dishwashing liquid (I use about a teaspoon per 1 qt) worked for me too. It basically suffocates the insect.
If all else fails, I resorted to imidacloprid. Many companies have it as active ingredient in their insecticides. I use Bayer Advance Tree & Shrub. It is good for 6 month - 1 year per application and comes in liquid or granules. Beware that it is supposed to be kill bees that get the pollen of the sprayed plants!
Letting other "natural" predatory insects take care of the problem is best (if possible).
Sometimes a good spray of water is sufficient.
I find using milk diluted with water 50%-50% and a little dishwashing liquid works too. The lactic acid is supposed to eat through the exoskeleton of the insects, eventually killing them.
Neem oil diluted in water with dishwashing liquid (I use about a teaspoon per 1 qt) worked for me too. It basically suffocates the insect.
If all else fails, I resorted to imidacloprid. Many companies have it as active ingredient in their insecticides. I use Bayer Advance Tree & Shrub. It is good for 6 month - 1 year per application and comes in liquid or granules. Beware that it is supposed to be kill bees that get the pollen of the sprayed plants!
Letting other "natural" predatory insects take care of the problem is best (if possible).
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
You should be able to find most of the pest problem solutions, by searching for the pest name you are fighting. I think most people put their pest threads in general discussion, unless it's a pest that is specific to a specie of tree.
For my part, integrated management, ie, allowing the beneficial insects to flourish works best. When I absolutely have to, I use insecticidal soap, that takes care of almost everything, as long as you are vigilant, and observant. Some people do not look closely enough at their plants, often enough, and are finding the problem after it's escalated to large proportions. Then large scale spraying is employed. If you are watching, most problems can be solved early and less invasively.
For my part, integrated management, ie, allowing the beneficial insects to flourish works best. When I absolutely have to, I use insecticidal soap, that takes care of almost everything, as long as you are vigilant, and observant. Some people do not look closely enough at their plants, often enough, and are finding the problem after it's escalated to large proportions. Then large scale spraying is employed. If you are watching, most problems can be solved early and less invasively.
C.A. Young
Sapling
Sorry guys, I didn't mean that I need help with pests, but I thought it would be useful if we had a thread devoted to the discussion of pest management. Personally, I use imidacloprid, and find that that eradicates almost every sucking insect. Although a full dip in pyrethrin works too.
