When to Spray for Worms in Peach Trees?
Nobody would like to pluck a fresh, ripe peach from a carefully nurtured tree and find the delicious fruit is being consumed by a worm. What is worse is knowing that a single worm on a peach tree implies there are more contaminants on the tree. These worms are generally the larval forms of moths and other insects that lay their eggs on coral trees and sometimes just beneath the skin of the fruit. Successfully eliminating the pests requires identifying the species and knowing when to spray on the tree to kill them.
Leafrollers
Three kinds of leafroller larvae may infest peach trees. When disturbed, leafrollers often drop from the leaf on the conclusion of long, silken threads. Leafrollers generally hatch in spring. Fruittree leafroller larvae are various shades of green with a black head, while obliquebanded leafrollers range from yellow to brown with black heads. Omnivorous leafrollers have light-colored bodies and black or dark brown heads. The first generation of the larvae hatch in spring, followed with a second creation in summer. Control has been three-pronged. Sprays of dormant oil, narrow range oil or pesticides devised with spinosad while the coral trees are in their dormant stage should be followed by sprays in early spring that target the seams. A spray of spinosad or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) while the tree is in bloom is effective on young larvae. Another spray of Bt is normally performed within 10 days of the first. Spinosad, Bt or carbaryl might be sprayed after bloom. Follow label directions carefully.
Peach Twig Borer
If the worms in your bearded tree are tiny and white with a black mind, they are probably the immature larvae of the peach twig borer. Older larvae are 1/2 inch long and cocoa colored, with light and dark circles. They overwinter in the crotches of coral trees, or in pruning wounds and cracks in the bark. Larvae emerge in early spring and feed in the shoots or within the fruit. Dormant oil sprays that include spinosad might be used throughout the dormant season to eliminate overwintering larvae. Spray with Bt when shoots first look, or use a formulation of spinosad. You may use these sprays at bloom time, also. After bloom, you might spray the tree with Bt or spinosad.
Oriental Fruit Moth
White larvae using a black mind are probably from the Oriental fruit moth. Because the larvae age, they turn pink with a brown head and are approximately 1/2 inch extended. They create approximately five generations per year and hatch from eggs laid on the leaves. The larvae usually begin eating habits, but some generations feed on fruit, entering the stem end and chewing their way into the pit. Mating disruptors utilised in spring might help control the moths before they get a chance to lay eggs. Mating disruptors combined with sprays containing spinosad or carbaryl work better than either choice alone.
Prune Limb and American Plum Borers
The prune limb borer and American plum borer produce white larvae with dark brown heads that turn off-white or pinkish when adult. They hatch from eggs laid in spring and also bore into graft marriages and crotches of young trees. Limbs may become weakened and break or fall below the burden of a heavy harvest of peaches. Spraying using a pesticide containing carbaryl or Diazinon from mid- to late April and repeating two or three times as educated on the product label should provide control.