Best way to control aphids on apple trees?

[bornagain62511]

edit: what is the best way to eliminate or control aphids on apple trees?

original post: what is the best and easiest and most effective way to treat young apple trees that are being attacked with ant farming aphids? thanks!

 

[Turkey Creek]

You can apply a band of Tangle Foot around the lower portion of the trunk if you just want to keep the ants off the tree. Last year I had ants that started eating bird pecked apples as they got closer to harvest time.

 

[Maya]

Ants farming aphids?

 

[yoderjac]

I had ants farming psylla on some persimmon seedlings a few years back. Sevin worked but Permethrin worked better and lasted longer. I now spray my seedling with permethrin at the first sign of ants. I presume it would be effective on aphids as well.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Ants farming aphids?

That is the term I have heard used before, just means the ants are eating the honey dew created by the aphids. I guess by my earlier post I just meant if the aphids arent causing enough damage to warrant spraying but you want to prevent the ants from making your apple trees home the Tangle Foot is a means to an end.

 

[bornagain62511]

OK, I was in a hurry when I posted and I need to clarify. What is the best way to control the aphids, to keep them off the young apple trees? The aphids are what really suck the life out of young trees right? The ants are just there to eat the honey dew that the aphids create, and the ants I think protect the aphids from some of their predators, which I think is why the term "ants farming aphids" got started, the ants are in a sense raising the aphids because they protect them. I think I have that correct, if not someone please correct me.

 

[buckvelvet]

Ants farming aphids?

You of all people, why are you questioning that? :)

Maybe you don't have the problem where your at? In my sandy ground thats my biggest fight is aphids, they are farms by the ants........

 

[Turkey Creek]

I dont usually have much of a problem with aphids, but Sevin has killed the ones I needed killed. I am guessing that is your cheapest option once you are passed the window where-Carbaryl could induce thinning. Otherwise the Midwest Tree Fruit Guide recommends; Carzol SP, Portal 0.4 EC, Agri-Mek 0.15, Closer 2 SC and Esteem 35 WP.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

^^^^^ What is the guide to when the " window " is passed and it's OK to spray Carbaryl ?? ( Sevin ) What size should the apples be to avoid too much thinning ??

 

[Maya]

You of all people, why are you questioning that? :)

Maybe you don't have the problem where your at? In my sandy ground thats my biggest fight is aphids, they are farms by the ants........

Buckvelvet, I just think the term "farming aphids" is a misnomer. I remember on the QDM forum, we had this discussion on aphids and ants. Guys actually thought the ants were eating their trees, eating aphids, and aphids were going to devastate their trees. The sky was truly falling! That just isn't the case. All ants tell me is that I probably have aphids, and in 25+ years of growing apples, I've never had to worry about aphids, yet I have them every year. If your trees are healthy and you are not alongside a soybean field, you should not have a problem of aphids. I think most guys see them, see others here and on other sites talk about them, and they overreact.

There are just not many instances where ants and aphids are a problem. There is a symbiotic relation going on, but the ants are only up in the apple trees to make use of the honeydew that the aphids secrete. And unless you have every single terminal shoot is loaded with aphids and your trees are in poor health, aphids and ants are not a problem.

Bornagain, what I would suggest is to do a survey, if 70-80% of terminal shoots have a aphids, then maybe you should think about spraying Sevin, otherwise you're just worrying about nothing, IMO. And only if they are unhealthy trees and are 1st leaf trees or nursery trees.

 

[Maya]

^^^^^ What is the guide to when the " window " is passed and it's OK to spray Carbaryl ?? ( Sevin ) What size should the apples be to avoid too much thinning ??

20+mm. Carbaryl alone is a weak thinner. This year with the cold weather I had very poor thinning response to Carbaryl, and even when I added Refine. Your apples are ahead of mine, so I would think you are ok to use sevin as an insecticide, but I doubt you need to use it for aphids.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

George I am glad you pointed that out. I do t even know what an aphid is and with my spray program I haven't seen any ants or uncles in my trees. On the thinning note I sprayed the day before we had that little heat wave in May and even though it was my first year thinning I think I had a pretty good response to my carabyl and maxim Growth Regulator combo. I am also doing some hand thinning but I think I should be ok with selective hand thinning now

 

[Maya]

Good to hear Aero. I'm having to do some hand thinning on HC's, Gala, Macs and Macoun. All others thinned out pretty good.

 

[buckvelvet]

I have aphids every year in my home orchard, they dont touch anything but my cortland apple tree and they really hammer it so I have to keep up on spraying that tree. Don't really understand why that particular variety they like so much other the others i have but its quite clear they do.

In my nursery there are handful that have bad aphids and the others are clean, not sure what rhyme or reason there would be.

 

[sandbur]

Like maya said, aphids were the worst problem for me when they was soybeans next to the apple trees.

 

[buckvelvet]

Like maya said, aphids were the worst problem for me when they was soybeans next to the apple trees.

I'm in the woods, no fields round these parts. :)

 

[sandbur]

I'm in the woods, no fields round these parts. :)

The Sandbox is just about the opposite. Fields all the way around, except a bit here and there.