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Woolly aphids

Busybee29Busybee29 Posts: 17
in Plants

I have discovered my crab apple tree has woolly aphids. What is the best way to treat it?. It has been suggested that I need to cut it down. I have blasted it with a pressure washer several times and also sprayed it with a general bug killer. It still comes back. help please!!

Posts

  • dizzylizzydizzylizzy Posts: 91

    Me too- my lupins were the best ever this year- and then the grey bugs/aphids came........sprayed and sprayed and still came back...... any ideas??

  • daituomdaituom Posts: 83

    You need to treat the tree with a systemic insecticide, spray as many of the leaves you can, the chemical will then be taken into the trees tissue. Spray every 7 days until the aphids are wiped out.

  • Busybee29Busybee29 Posts: 17
    Many thanks daituom. Will the systemic insecticide have any effect on the fruit.? The aphids tend to be on the branches and new growth and not so much on the leaves themselves. Apparently the tree has been previously lopped. We have only lived at this property since October last year so we are not sure what the condition was before it was lopped.
  • daituomdaituom Posts: 83

    The insecticide shouldn`t have any effect on the fruit, busybee.The tree can only absorb the insecticide through the leaves. It will then be transmitted throughout the plant so will take care of the beasties.lol. Lizzy, did you use a systemic insecticide?

  • dizzylizzydizzylizzy Posts: 91

    Hi daitum

    Probably not- just a bug spray- one to fit all I think......  didn't know there were different ones.

     

  • ezageezaezageeza Posts: 14

    Are you sure they're wooly aphids ?   Normally you'd find them on the undersides of leaves rather than on branches / new growth.  

    Why are you worried about a systemic insecticide affecting the fruit?   Are you planning on making crab apple jelly?   If so, I would not use a systemic - I wouldn't want insecticide in anything i was planning to eat.

    I've used SB Plant Invigorator on wooly aphid recently (if that is what you've got) - spray thoroughly every few days for a week, then weekly for a few more weeks until they're all dead.

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Dizzylizzy, you have Lupin Aphid rather than Woolly Aphid.  The same advice applies though - use a systemic insecticide like Provado Ultimate Bug Killer.  Lupin Aphid can easily kill a plant as the infestations are usually extremely heavy.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Busybee29Busybee29 Posts: 17
    After some weeks and advice,we have blasted the crab apple tree with water, sprayed it several times with washing up liquid but the woolly aphids/fungus keeps returning! It seems the only option now is to have it removed. Can anyone else come up with any other suggestions? We have also sprayed it with a systemic insecticide.
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