More On Little Cherry Vectors

More On Little Cherry Vectors

More On Little Cherry Vectors. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report.

On Friday we began a look at some of the vectors that can lead to Little Cherry virus 2 or LCD in the orchard. Andrea Bixby-Brosi with WSU's Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center discussed two primary vectors; apple and grape mealy bugs and she says that historically mealy bugs have not been a problem for cherries.

BIXBY-BROSI: They're a pest now because we do know that they do spread Little Cherry Disease. We don't really know how to control them but we've taken advice from the pear growers and looked at what they've done because they've had issues with grape mealy bug in the past. But when we have found mealy bugs in the past, a lot of times they're taken care of by natural enemies.

She says that if orchards have a significant number of beneficial insects then the mealy bug populations have been fairly low.

BIXBY-BROSI: Specifically lace-wings, lady beetles, bugs and spiders will eat mealy bug eggs and the small nymphs. The mealy bug destroyer, I haven't typically found it in Washington orchards but it can be ordered. I don't know the results how that has panned out for people.

Parasitoid wasps are also helpful.

BIXBY-BROSI: One wasp that we know of in Washington State is the grape mealy bug parasitoid so it lays its eggs inside of the eggs of the grape mealy bug and it emerges when the mealy bug is in its adult stage.

That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.

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