Common Pests Affecting Fruit Trees and How to Treat Them
Fruit trees are particularly attractive to insect pests, from caterpillars to aphids and many others. The flowers and fruit attract not just insect pests, but birds, mice, squirrels, and even raccoons. There’s no shortage of competition for the delicious fruit on your trees.
Some types of fruit-tree pests called chewing insects (because they chew on plant parts) generally focus on leaves, leaving them with ragged holes or large portions of the leaf missing. They also are perfectly willing to gnaw on flowers and fruits. Many insect species lay eggs inside young fruit, where they hatch and feed without being noticed until after the harvest.
Some typical chewing insects include various species of:
● Beetles
● Caterpillars
● Cutworms
● Earwigs
● Fruitworms
● Grasshoppers
● Stink bugs
Sucking insects latch onto trees and suck out the nutritious juices inside. They generally cause leaves to become mottled, discolored, and wilted. They may leave behind a sticky waste called honeydew. Fruit can be malformed or fail to thrive because of sucking insects. Some common types that attack fruit trees are:
● Aphids
● Leafhoppers
● Scale
● Spider mites
● Thrips
Boring insects tunnel into tree trunks, and can be fatal to immature or stressed trees. Signs of boring insects include visible holes in the bark, the presence of frass (a powdery excrement) at the base of the tree, and dying or dead bark. Some typical boring insects that attack fruit trees are:
● Peachtree borer
● Flatheaded appletree borer
● Roundheaded appletree borer
● Dogwood borer
● Pacific flatheaded borer
● Shothole borer
Prevention
Healthy trees are able to fend off a lot of insect damage, so keeping your tree well watered, fertilized, and maintained can go a long way toward preventing issues with insects. Insects can enter trees through open wounds, so avoid damaging the tree if possible and keep the area free of any debris that might harbor pests. Remove diseased or heavily infested branches to keep the rest of the tree healthy.
For most people, it won’t be necessary to fully eradicate pests, as natural predators such as birds and bats, as well as predatory insects like lacewings, praying mantis, and wasps often keep insect populations under control. Predators for a particular species can be introduced to the area if needed.
Treatment
In general, it is best to avoid using insecticides as much as possible, and rely on natural predators and other non-chemical treatments. Sticky traps around tree trunks can stop crawling insects from reaching the fruit and leaves of your trees.
Bacterial sprays such as spinosad and Bacillus thuringiensis help control many types of chewing insects, while horticultural oils such as neem oil treat and manage aphids, scale, and others. For any type of treatment, it is important to identify exactly what kind of pest is attacking your trees and then do research on the treatment options available. Be sure they are safe for use on edible crops. Always follow instructions carefully, and do not apply more of the treatment than necessary.