Fruit Bites for May 3-5 ... Senstar

BL: Welcome back to another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. With us again is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, we are talking about insects at petal fall.

AW: Whether you grow apples, pears and/or cherries, petal fall applications for insect control is the last time that you will have the best coverage access before all the leaves flush out. Woolly apple aphids and mites are moving up from the roots and leaf litter into the tree scaffolding. Mealybugs and scales are coming out from their good hiding places under the bark cervices. And Pear psylla eggs and young nymphs are concentrated on all that new emerging tissue.

BL: So, any or all of these should be treated at petal fall?

AW: If your orchard has several of these pests, petal fall is a timing to target immature stages so using insect growth regulators, like Senstar, can help control. Include horticultural mineral oil help with coverage and oil has insecticidal activity. Finally remember our friends, the beneficial insects, will start emerging as well, so chose softer chemistries to help their populations build up.

BL: Well, thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.