When you grow peach tree sometimes you will encounter some problems. There are insect pest that will attack and damage your tree. If these insect cause damages, your tree will be placed in not good condition. The best way you can do is know how to control insect pests in peach trees.
Peach Tree Insect Pests
Brown Stink Bug
The brown stink bug (Euschitus servus) is an insect pest that grows approximately 1/2 inch when mature. Its color varies between brown to graysih. They feed on the tree by sipping the juice of ripe and even green peach fruits. When it happens the fruits will not be in good condition. You don’t want your them to attack your tree because they might cause some problem.
Codling Moth
The codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is another insect pest in peaches. When its form is larvae the color of it is white to pink. It can cause some damages into the fruit by tunneling and sometimes damaging the pits. While the adults are color is gray. They can fly when mature because the wings are fully develop.
Dried Fruit Beetles
The dried fruit beetles (Carpophilus hemipterus) larvae is color white with brown heads. It grows around 3 mm long, color black, the legs are redish and have small wings when they mature. This insect pest causes some damages by injuring the trees and fruits. When your tree have some damages, it causes stress for your tree. You don’t want them to attack and need some control.
Green June Beetle
The green june beetle (Cotinis nitida) feed on the tree by eating ripe fruits. They really like overripe fruits and also the near decaying one. The larvae of it is color white and becomes color green when matures. They have wings and thorny legs. They can easily fly to the trees by using its wings.
Green Peach Aphid
The green peach aphid (Myzus perdicae) is a tiny insect pest that causes leaf curl, thicken and yellow leaves. They target the leaves to get its sap. You need to control this pest so your tree will be in good shape.
Japanese Beetle
The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) feeds on the leaves and fruits. They target those parts because its what they like to eat. You can notice if they attack when you see that many of the leaves are dropping. Defoliation happens when this beetle damage your tree. The larvae are color white while the adults are metallic green with some oval like wings.
Mites
Some kinds of this insect are red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) and European red mite (Panonychus ulmi). They feed on the foliage and severe damage causes defoliation and poor development of the tree. Mostly of its damage is on the leaves and you don’t want it to happen cause it will affect its growth.
Obliquebanded Leafroller
The obliqebanded leafroller (Choristoneura rosaceana) are small when they are larvae around 30 mm long and color yellowish to green. Its head is black to brown and have many feet that uses to move. When they grows old the female grows wings around 7.5 to 11 mm while the male is 11.5 to 14 mm. It damages the leaves and fruit surfaces. Even though they are small can cause serious problem to your tree.
Oriental Fruit Moth
This pest (Grapholita molesta) causes more damage when they are larvae form. They causes most of the damages to peaches and nectarines. How can you tell if your tree is attack by this pest? You will see it when your tree wilt and notice some sawdust waste. They can also tunnel into the stem of fruits and damage it. The larvae are white when young and becomes reddish when older. When it transform into moth they are grayish black with develop wings and its length is 6 to 7 mm (0.6 cm to 0.7 cm) long.
Peach Borer
Here are some peach borer examples; the peachtree borer (Synanthedon exitiosa), lesser peachtree borer (Synanthedon pictipes) and shothole borer (Scolytus rugulosus). These borer causes damage by boring or tunneling inside the peach tree. When happen the growth of tree is affected.
Plum Curculio
The plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar) cause damage to fruit. Some of the fruits might drop prematurely and will lead to less harvest. If you want to have abundant harvest you need to apply some treatment.
San Jose Scale
The (Diaspidiotus perniciosus) characteristics are small and have yellow wings for male and dark gray and surrounded with yellow cover for female. They damage most of the parts of the peach tree like branches, foliage, shoots and fruits. They really like sipping the juice coming from the fruit and it will look ugly as days pass. You need to control them to make your tree healthy.
Tarnished Plant Bug
The tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris) causes damage on the fruit by sucking the juice. There are other pests that like the juices to make them grow. It grows as nymphs with yellow to green in color and transform to adult with yellow to brown head color and length of around 6 to 7 mm. This is another pest of peach tree.
Thrips
The thrips (Thysanoptera) damages the flowers and young fruits. They are small with two antenna on its head. It use its wings to easily travel to the trees.
How To Control Insect Pests In Peach Trees?
To control insect pest in peach trees apply pesticides or insecticides. This will help to control and eliminate those insect who causes damage to your tree. There are commercial and natural treatment that you can use. Some of the insecticides that you can use are horticultural oil, Gamma-cyhalothrin, Lambda-cyhalothrin, Cypermethrin, Malathion, neem oil, Pyrethrins and Pernethrin. There are directions to follow for each one and it will help to remove those insect pests on your peach tree.
Natural insecticides are good to use because they have no chemical content which is good for the human. Some of these natural insecticides for peach tree are neem oil, jojoba oil, canola oil, cinnamon oil, and insecticidal soap. They are apply with the use of sprayer. The garlic and hot pepper also can be use. They are mix with some water apply. Practicing organic gardening is a good habit. They are good for human, plants, animals and also environment. Knowing how to control insect pests in peach trees will really help your tree to stay healthy. Less damage on the fruit, leaves, flowers, twigs, branches and roots.
There are some other ways you can do like caring. The tree needs proper watering. When there is no steady watering schedule or measurement, it can cause stress. If the tree is stress it can lead to pest attack or diseases so you need to apply water properly.
Pruning those diseased wood is a good practice. It will help to maintain the healthiness of tree. By giving nutrients it make also stronger. When your tree growing well, it can be resistant to the damage of pest. Or maybe if pest attack the damages will be minimal. Caring for your tree is very important.
Those are some informations about how to control insect pests in peach trees. When the tree grows healthy, you can assure abundant harvest sooner.
