Question
I have many Chanticleer pear's in my yard. Each year they swarm with Wasps during the day. There are not any nests in them. Is there anything I can do or spray to remove them? They have been swarming many of my Quakies as well. I have read online that it could be from aphids on the trees and the Wasps go after the sugary substance the aphids leave behind. I have noticed on my Quakies that there are small holes on some leaves which might mean aphids, but on the Chanticleer's there are not any holes on the leaves so I don't think aphids would be on those. Please help the wasps are out of control on these trees.
Answer(s)
Aphids attack many ornamental trees, like Flowering Pear and Quaking Aspen. They have a piercing, sucking mouth part and “tap” into the leaves to get their food. The sticky substance is called honeydew and is the excrement from the aphids feeding. Ants and wasps are attracted to the honeydew and are often attracted to the sticky leaves. To remedy the problem, a good hard stream of water will typically knock the aphids off the leaves and remove the source of attraction to the other pests. Insecticidal soap may also be used to control aphid outbreaks. These soft bodied insects rarely cause any permanent damage to the trees so pesticides are typically not recommended for control.
Other Questions In This Topic
- I recently purchased a home in Sandy and there are chinese elms everywhere. Some of them are growing around gas and water lines. How do I get rid of them? Can I cut them down and poisen the root system? I also have a backyard that is completely overgrown with what I think is an annual bluegrass. I just want to rip all that out and plant seed in the fall. What is the best way to get rid of the annual bluegrass so it dosen't grow back next year? Can I just till it or do I need to do more than that?
- The leaves on my strawberry plants have turned a very pale green or yellow with some brown on the edges what do they need?
- Do cottenless Cottonwood shed cotton after 7 to 10 years or are they always cottonless?
- My bush beans have holes in some of the leaves. What is causing this? What can I do to fix it?
- I have just moved into this new house and I have all these raspberry bushes. They have produced a crop of fruit and I went out and picked lots of berries. The berries themselves look very nice but they are a little small. When I brought them in the house I noticed a couple different kind of pests on them. A black little beetle looking bug and a little tiny bug that resembled the hair on the raspberry. I washed them off, cleaned them and ate them. Now I am all panicked that I will get sick. They tasted good but I have myself all freaked out not knowing if all the bugs got off. Will they hurt me? I want to make raspberry jam with all the berries I have. Is that safe?
- The leaves of our sweet cherry tree have yellowed and our falling off at an alarming rate. This started two weeks ago and in another week ALL the leaves will have dropped except for a few on the tips of new growth (i.e. water spouts). This happened last year to two of our other sweet cherry trees. They did NOT come back this spring. Dead! The trees are 25 years old and pruned yearly. I've been fairly diligent about spraying (dormant oil, fruit fly, and borer) for the six years I've owned the house. At times they have shown signs of borer (or other insect) damage since there has been gumming spots on the trees. When I bought the house I removed the grass around the trees (not quite to the drip line,but a about four feet from the trunk. The trees get water from the lawn sprinklers, but I regularly (every 2-3 weeks) let a hose run water around the tree and soak in for a couple hours. When I fertilize the garden (commercial IFA garden chemical fertilizer)I toss a couple handfuls at the base of each tree. So some fertilizer about twice a year. The soil around the house is mixed. I would guess that most of it is moderate clay. We live on the edge of the bench not far from the mouth of Hobble Creek Canyon. If I had just walked into the yard, I would guess that the trees were getting too much water (yellowing leaves) instead of not enough water (dry crisping leaves). But I really don't water the trees that much and not at all in the last couple weeks when this yellow & leaf drop started. My only other clue is some leaves have brown spots. About the time we bought the house, a neighbor had a cherry tree drop most of its leaves and they were told (USU ext?) that it was a fungus; they sprayed and saved the tree. They've moved so I can't ask them specifics. I don't remember if the leaves had yellowed and then dropped. Too long ago. Help?
- My petunias are horribly sticky - I assume thrips are in control although I have tried to keep them washed off (insecticidal soap) and sprayed with a systemic (orthonex). Is there anything else I might try? Would a dormant oil spray work, and if so when would I use it? Also, there are small worms that are probably chomping the blossoms. What would work to prevent or kill them? How do worms can get into my flower boxes, that are at least 6 feet off the ground?
- I have an apricot tree in my backyard that is loaded with apricots. We have not sprayed the tree with anything, but I would like to use what I can of the fruit that is not 'buggy'. The apricots have red/brown spots on the skin, my research tells me it might be a fungus. Would the fruit be safe to eat if it was cooked and then canned? Also, I would like to transplant some of my fathers raspberry bushes, when is the best time to do that?