Hello all, I’ve recently been noticing some white fluffy buildup on my crabapple at the internodes. It seemed to get worse as summer came to a close. I tried treating with soap and water which seemed to work for a while but recently the pests came back with a vengeance. I removed the moss that covered the roots to see if the pests were in the soil. And voila they were all over the roots. Some of them seem to have caused the roots to grow strange and sickly looking. What should I do? Repot in spring and bareroot and prune all infected roots or what? The tree did have one last push of healthy growth at the end of summer so I believe it’s still somewhat vigorous.
What kind of pests are these?
- Thread starter Mattfly
- Start date
AJL
Chumono
Probably this Wooly aphid- very common pest of Apples
www.rhs.org.uk
Woolly aphid / RHS Gardening
Woolly aphid is common on edible and ornamental apple trees, pyracantha and <em>Cotoneaster horizontalis</em>. The insects produce a white waxy 'fluff' that can be mistaken for fungal growth.
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Woolly aphid.
They also live underground on the roots so just treating the ones above ground does not solve the problem. Systemic insecticide is the most successful treatment as it will kill everything that sucks on the tree whether above or below soil level.
They also live underground on the roots so just treating the ones above ground does not solve the problem. Systemic insecticide is the most successful treatment as it will kill everything that sucks on the tree whether above or below soil level.
What sort of systemic insecticide should I use? I have neem oil on hand
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Neem oil is inadequate for these things. That white wooly covering sheds water and anything you spray on them--and it's completely ineffective for bugs underground. Systemic and a good repotting and root wash are the only really effective ways of getting rid of these things. Bonide can work, and there are specialty fruit tree systemics that work well with apples. FWIW, apples are the worst bug magnets. They suffer from all kinds of infestations and tend to spread them to nearby trees. Look at your other trees to see if they have the same problem.
Should I treat with a systemic soil drench right now and then repot and root wash in spring? I moved the crabapple when I notice the infestation so I haven’t seen them spread to any other trees yet. Thanks for the help
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Trade names vary from one country to another. I do not know what insecticides are available in your area. A search shows "Bonide" has Imacloprid as the active so that is one systemic. Just pour granules on the soil and water in. Just be aware that use on flowering plants may kill honey bees and other good bugs. Systemics have been removed from sale in many countries because home gardeners could not be trusted to use these products safely. Your local plant place should be able to recommend other brands.
Agree with @rockm that neem oil is not systemic. It is a Contact insecticide. The oil will probably penetrate the woolly covering and kill the bugs it touches but won't treat below soil and any you miss above soil will still keep breeding.
Systemic insecticide enters the sap stream on plants and moves to every part of the plant so anything that tries to take a bite - leaves, roots, bark, flowers - will die.
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