Anything I can do to help new trees survive being chewed on by caterpillars?

[Derek Reese 29]

So I missed a few days of spraying in a row with Sevin on my newly planted (this spring and last fall) crabs/apples/pears and some of them got whacked pretty hard by Gypsy moth caterpillars. I did hit all of them thoroughly with Sevin tonight but it is now raining and will be cool and wet for the next couple days. Is there anything I can do to help these trees pull through? Some have a few little fruits starting to form so I thought of removing all of that so the tree can focus its energy on just surviving and growing replacement leaves? I’ll try to get pics next time I’m up there but had the little man with me tonight and it wasn’t in the cards. Thanks in advance!

 

[buckdeer1]

Are they the ones that make the webs over them?I spray with bifan after ripping a hole in the webs with my pole saw

 

[SD51555]

Are those caterpillars going after any native trees and shrubs, or just the stuff you planted?

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Are those caterpillars going after any native trees and shrubs, or just the stuff you planted?

They go after everything, but think they like the nice new tender leaves on new trees.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Are they the ones that make the webs over them?I spray with bifan after ripping a hole in the webs with my pole saw

Nah these guys have little like spider web things that they blow in on. A lot of my hardest hit trees are in the middle of a field, as they were blown there.

 

[bigboreblr]

ID give them a 2nd dose of sevin when you can get a break in the rain. I had a bad spell of catepillars here, used the bonide fruit tree spray and it worked ok, used 1.5oz/gal. Sevin is the main insecticide in that one. I just got some imidan, but need to setup my supplied air respirator before doing that. Was going to spray with blower once the flowers drop on my mature trees.

Won't hurt snipping off the fruit. Give it waterings with a lighter dose of miracle grow.

I wrap the base of my trees with glue paper. The catepillars hatched on the tree, but it has caught alot of other harmful insects. Ant, apple maggot flies, and even a few aphids.

Local stores are selling ladybugs this time of year.

I had ne or two trees get hit hard last year, they leafed out again. You should be ok.

I couldnt get the timing right with spraying neem oil before bud break this year. That stuff helps with those early season infestations. Even spraying when the leaves drop in the fall knocks out some infestations in the spring.

 

[Tree Spud]

Spray them and their nest with malathion, will knock them out dead.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Here’s some pics of the carnage…
These were Harrison, golden hornet, gray ghost and turkey crab..to note it seems like the full sized apples are chewed on the hardest…hit them with another good spray of Sevin today..

 

[SD51555]

Long shot from the quacks corner, but would a pile of diatomaceous earth around the trunk stop them, or are they leathery enough they walk right through it?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Here’s some pics of the carnage…
These were Harrison, golden hornet, gray ghost and turkey crab..to note it seems like the full sized apples are chewed on the hardest…hit them with another good spray of Sevin todayView attachment 64484View attachment 64486View attachment 64485..View attachment 64483
View attachment 64483

Derek -

The early years are the hardest for fruit tree survival. Caterpillars can defoliate them in no time. Keep the spray regimen going, and give your trees time to push new leaves. Once the trees get well established and get some size to them, they can fend off attacks like that better. Sevin spray always works for us at camp. Timing is the thing - you gotta get 'em when the bugs first appear, and stick with the directions for spray timing. Once the caterpillars are morphed into flying things, the Japs will come on. More spraying!

The bigger the trees get, the more they can withstand bug attacks.

 

[MikeMc]

Why do you guys use chemicals over bt it btk?

 

[Tree Spud]

Why do you guys use chemicals over bt it btk?

bt it btk ... what are you referring to?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Why do you guys use chemicals over bt it btk?

Just for spot spraying. Don't you have to apply BT before any bugs show up?? (and to all your trees?) Never used BT, but I know it's a natural bacteria / pest contagion.

 

[MikeMc]

bt it btk ... what are you referring to?

Sorry, meant bt or btk. Every thing I have read online has said to use btk.

 

[bigboreblr]

It seems most of us are having a bad caterpillar year. Every good article I read mentions dormant oil spraying. I had 2 dolgo's I dug up and transplanted to root maker pots sometime in march. The critters were on the trees in the winter as eggs. Had them inside and stuff's eating them. Definitely didn't come from a insect crawling or flying to that plant this spring. It was waiting to hatch on the seedling. Lost 2 out of 4 seedlings that were too thin to graft last year.

Had too much going on this late winter / early spring to spray dormant oil. Not happening next year. I might be good on ordering trees, bedsides a few rootstocks each year. But, anything I order is getting dormant oil. One order was filled to the brim with caterpillars. They didn't walk there, I had sticky paper around the trunk.

The tree in the 2nd pic looks real rough. what was that one.

 

[chickenlittle]

I usually don't spray much but the caterpillars are bad this year at my folks place in PA. A few of my apples trees are badly defoliated but at least they don't like the pears. Last weekend I only had time empty a spray bottle of Sevin on the smallest trees. I put 3 tanks of Malathion on them yesterday, spraying the big trees as much as I could. I wouldn't normally spray big trees but hoping that I kill ones that might migrate back onto the smallest trees. I did have one 8 year old tree that leafs out very late that had everything eaten except the stem of the leaves. That one could be in trouble. I figure the caterpillars will be done soon. Then I'll just need to get out with spray when the Japanese Beetles start so the young trees don't get hit again. I heard some cicadas yesterday but don't think we are supposed to have a bad year for them.

 

[Jerry-B-WI]

Long shot from the quacks corner, but would a pile of diatomaceous earth around the trunk stop them, or are they leathery enough they walk right through it?

The DE won't work. The egg masses are layed on the branches and the caterpillars don't hit the ground.

 

[treeguy]

I don't get to visit my fruit trees often. I think I'm going to drench my young fruit trees early next year with imidacloprid. That should give a seasons worth of protection.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Sorry, meant bt or btk. Every thing I have read online has said to use btk.

Just picked some up

 

[Derek Reese 29]

It seems most of us are having a bad caterpillar year. Every good article I read mentions dormant oil spraying. I had 2 dolgo's I dug up and transplanted to root maker pots sometime in march. The critters were on the trees in the winter as eggs. Had them inside and stuff's eating them. Definitely didn't come from a insect crawling or flying to that plant this spring. It was waiting to hatch on the seedling. Lost 2 out of 4 seedlings that were too thin to graft last year.

Had too much going on this late winter / early spring to spray dormant oil. Not happening next year. I might be good on ordering trees, bedsides a few rootstocks each year. But, anything I order is getting dormant oil. One order was filled to the brim with caterpillars. They didn't walk there, I had sticky paper around the trunk.

The tree in the 2nd pic looks real rough. what was that one.

Think that one’s a turkey crab from whitetail crabs