Professional Tree Pests and Insect Control Services in Kamloops

Description
There are many varieties of this insect. Some of them are: Rosy Apple Aphids, Woolly Apple Aphids, Black Cherry Aphids and Green Aphids.

Plants Attacked
Most fruit trees, deciduous trees and roses.

Damage
Damage is similar with all aphids:

• Leaves – Terminal leaves are curled downward and are usually sticky with honeydew which is secreted by the aphids.
• Fruit – Honeydew may cause russet spots and growth of black sooty mold.
• Shoots – Highly infested shoots of plants and tender young trees can be stunted and malformed.
• Roots – Heavy feed can cause galls or swollen enlargements on roots. This may reduce growth and lead to death of nursery stock.

Life History
Eggs hatch as buds break in the spring. There may be several generations during the season. Winged adults return to mate, lay eggs and overwinter on trees.

Monitoring
Inspect trees in May to see if infestation is general and severe enough to threaten fruit. No treatment thresholds have been established for aphids. Begin monitoring in early summer.

Control
Cultural –Treat perennial cankers. Remove suckers in summer to eliminate a source of population development. Prune out water sprouts in August; paint large pruning cuts with commercial pruning paint to discourage aphid populations.

Description

The Cherry fruit fly's body is black, with white bands on the abdomen. Their transparent wings have a unique dark banding pattern. The wing design immediately distinguishes it from other fruit flies. They measure about a fifth of an inch (5 mm) in length. Females are slightly bigger than males.

Fly
Begins to emerge from pupae in the soil in early June and continues to emerge throughout August. The fly begins laying eggs under the skin of cherries when the fruit first turns red.

Maggots
White maggots that bore out of the cherries drop to the ground and pupate near the surface of the soil.

Moths
White maggots that bore out of the cherries drop to the ground and pupate near the surface of the soil.

Plants Attacked
The fruit fly attacks mainly cherry trees, but can attack other fruit trees as well.

Detection
Cherry fruit fly traps provide the most reliable method for detecting adult black or western cherry fruit flies in commercial or backyard cherry plantings throughout the growing season. The traps should be installed before June 1.

Chemical Control
For good results apply two sprays of Admire. Application should be done in early June and mid-June for good results.

Prevention Sanitation
In order to maintain proper control of the cherry fruit fly problem in Kamloops, all fruit must be picked and either used or destroyed. Cherries left on the ground provide a hatching or breeding ground and will contribute to the problem. For tree service, the trees should be kept to an average size in order to get good spray coverage.

Description

The codling moth belongs to the Tortricidae family of Lepidoptera. They are significant pests of crops, mainly fruits like apples and pears. Because the larvae cannot feed on leaves, they rely heavily on fruits as a food supply, causing severe crop damage.

Egg
The codling moth egg is almost transparent and measures 1 to 1.2 mm in diameter.

Larva
Immature larvae are very small, about 2 mm long and 0.5 mm in diameter. The mature larvae are white and its head is brown.

Pupa
The brown pupa varies in length from 10 to 12 mm with a width of 3 mm.

Adult
Adult moth is about 19 mm across the expanded wings and 9 mm long with the wings folded. It is gray-brown, crisscrossed with fine alternating gray and white bands. Near the tips of forewings are bronzed areas characteristic of the codling moth. Codling moth overwinters as mature larvae in tightly constructed silken cocoons located principally under loose bark on the tree trunk and larger limbs.

Plants Attacked
The larvae of the insect feed on the fruit of apple, pear and crab-apple trees. The damage destroys the fruit but causes no problem to the tree.

Monitoring
At full bloom, use one pheromone trap per 10 acres of orchard or property. Check for first generation damage in mid-July by searching for apples with frass. This will help determine the potential of the second generation.

Chemical Control
Zolone F500 and Imidan 50WP will protect the fruit for ten days. Use two sprays in late June (when evening temperature is 12 °C) and late July, or if possible threes sprays in late June, mid-July and mid-August. Spray the foliage and fruit of susceptible trees such as apple, pear and crab-apple with the proper pesticide.

Prevention & Sanitation
Remove all apples from the ground. Use corrugated cardboard on the trunk. Remove and replace the bands in late July and in late fall.

Description

These moths are also known as tortrix moths.   Their unusual moniker comes from the fact that they create their nests by rolling up leaves.

Egg Stage
There are about 150 eggs laid on small branches. The eggs are tan to white and round in shape. Egg hatch occurs in early to late May or early June.

Larvae Stage
The larvae are light to dark green with a dark head. They will wiggle backwards when disturbed.

Adult Stage
Fruit tree leaf roller moths are about 12 mm long with a bell-shaped pattern of gold, tan and white on the forewings.

Plants Attacked
Leaf rollers attack deciduous trees, shrubs, and of course, all fruit trees. Newly hatched larvae release silken threads so they can float on the wind. Larvae enter buds and feed on flower parts, moving into leaves after bloom. They feed on leaves and nearby fruit. Mature larvae pupate within leaf rolls. Adults emerge from June to August.

Damage
Buds have small entry holes and chewed petals and flower parts. Blossom petals will web together and often stay that way until petals fall. Leaves will be chewed, rolled and tied together with silk. Fruit will have deep irregular holes in small fruit that results in russeting scars on skin.

Chemical Control
Apply an insecticide spray in the spring when the larvae are active. A second spray may be needed in areas where insect populations are high. The timing of these sprays on fruit trees is very important. They are usually the first problem to appear in fruit trees and shrubs.

Biological and Physical
Dipel, Foray and BT Bacteria can be used. The toxin makes holes in the gut lining poisoning small caterpillars which causes them to stop feeding on the plants. Timing of these products is critical; apply one application during late bloom is best.

Description
Spider mites belong to the Tetranychidae family, containing over 1,200 different species. Spider mites dwell on the undersides of plant leaves, where they may construct protective silk webs, and they can damage the plant by puncturing the cells to eat. European red mite Panonychus ulm, two spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae, and spruce spider mite Oligonychus ununguis

Spider mites are very small (.1 - .5 mm), red and white, round spider-like (eight legs) creatures found in fine webs and underneath leaves. The eggs hatch in spring as the weather warms. There are several generations of mites each year. During the hot, dry part of the summer, the completion of one generation may require only two weeks. They thrive in hot, dry weather.

Plants Attacked

• Fruit Trees
• Berries
• Grapes
• Houseplants (Red Spider Mite)
• Beans
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Melons
• Tomato
• Eggplant
• Celery
• Onion
• Roses
• Cedars (Especially white cedars)
• Arborvitae
• Carnations
• Chrysanthemums
• Crab-apple
• Juniper
• Mountain Ash
• Spruce
• Sweet Peas
• Snapdragons
• Violets
• Fuschia

Damage
Mites damage plants by sucking juices, causing leaves or needles to turn brown and drop off. This results in reduced plant vigour and unsightly appearance of the tree or shrub. Leaves are mottled, bronzed or yellow, webbed and crinkly. Leaves look dusty.

Control
Dormant sprays are effective in killing both overwintering mites as well as eggs. Summer sprays with a miticide can also give control. Two sprays should be applied approximately ten days apart. When mites build up again later, the two sprays at ten days apart should be repeated.

It is also helpful to clean up weeds in the vicinity. Wood ashes around the base of plants may repel. Cold water can be misted inside the plants and sprayed on the undersides of the leaves.

Description
Tent caterpillars feed on various broadleaf trees and shrubs, creating unattractive webs or tents in the process. These caterpillars can defoliate trees, slowing their growth when their populations grow high enough. They wreak havoc on fruit and ornamental trees. Tent caterpillars are a pale blue and black colour with a series of white spots on their backs. The adult moth is a yellow-brown colour. The eastern tent caterpillars are hairy, brownish-black with a light stripe down the back. The adult moths are usually a reddish-brown colour but can be yellow-brown as well. The western tent caterpillar tends to be reddish-brown on top and pale underneath. They have a row of blue spots on their backs with orange spots interspersed in between.

Plants Attacked
The eastern tent caterpillar feeds on cherry, apple and crab-apple trees. The western tent caterpillar chooses willow, poplar, apple, plum, cherry and oak trees.

Damage
Tent caterpillars can cause severe damage, often defoliating the entire tree early. If damage is minor, the tree can bud again later in the summer, but if severe enough, the tree may take up to two years to recover.

Chemical Control
A dormant oil spray may be used on susceptible trees in late winter to smother the eggs before they hatch in early spring. Products that can be used are as follows: malathion, diazinon, carbaryl and permethrin are registered. Spraying in the evening is best as the caterpillars return to the nesting area at nighttime.

Biological/Physical
The bacterium Btu (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a selective insecticide.

In the summer, you can destroy egg cases and cocoons by scraping them with a knife or by burning them.

In the spring, if webs are present, wipe the affected branch with an unlit cloth soaked in kerosene. When tents are fairly large, cut off the infested branches and burn or crush individual webs.

Description
Adults are often hairy and have subtle hues like brown, grey, or white. The antennae resemble combs (bipectinate). Females are often larger than males, are flightless, and have decreased or nonexistent wings. The hair tufts on the end of the adult female's abdomen, like the hairs on caterpillars, can irritate the skin if touched. Orgyia pseudotsugata (Douglas-fir tussock moth). The tussock moth has a 1-year life cycle. They overwinter as eggs.

Egg Stage
About 200 eggs are laid on the empty female cocoon, in a mass, embedded in a frothy “cement”. The eggs are white and spherical in shape. Egg hatch occurs in late May or early June.

Larvae Stage
The larvae can measure up to 30 mm long with a glossy black head. The body is hairy, grey and black with small red tubercles and a broken orange-yellow stripe on each side. On the fore part of the body are two prominent black lateral pencil tufts that look like horns. Larvae feed voraciously on the foliage until late July.

Pupa Stage
The larva spins a 20-25 mm long grey-brown spindle shaped cocoon of silk and larval hairs in which it changes into a stout brown pupa. Tussock moth cocoons are usually found on the lower sides of foliage and twigs. During infestations they can also be found on tree boles, fences and nearby buildings.

Adult Stage
The grey to dark brown female moth has a stout abdomen and is wingless, about 16 mm long. The male has a slender body and a wingspan of up to 32 mm.

Trees Affected
The following trees are commonly affected: Douglas and true firs and ornamental spruce. Ponderosa pine and western larch adjacent to infested Douglas fir trees have occasionally been severely defoliated during epidemics.

Damage
Larvae feed from the top of the tree, causing defoliation from the top down. The hairs of the caterpillars can cause swelling on the skin of allergic persons (Tussockosis).

Control
An insecticide spray should be applied in the spring when the larvae are active. Control on large trees is difficult. There is an internal application of systemic insecticide (ACE caps) available which is most beneficial if inserted in early May. This eliminates spraying and is more environmentally safe. ACE caps are recommended for use on ornamentals and evergreens but are not for use on fruit trees.

Description
The woolly apple aphid is a sap-sucking insect that feeds on tree limbs and roots, weakening it. Its colonies have a fuzzy look, hence the name. Reddish to brown in color, up to 2 mm long and covered with a cottony-like white wax. They do not infest leaves. When squashed they leave a red residue.

Plants Attacked

• Apple
• Pear Hawthorn
• Mountain Ash
• Cotoneaster
  

Damage
Aphids colonize around wounds on limbs. They can cause bark to crack. Honeydew may drip on fruit that causes russet spots and blackened lenticels. The feeding from the mites causes galls or swollen enlargements on roots. Heavy infestation can reduce growth and cause death. Root colonies on bearing trees cause re-infestations each year.

Lifecycles
Adults overwinter on roots and in protected sites on tree. In spring, young aphids crawl to new sites. There are several generations per year. Dispersion between trees occurs by wind or birds.

Monitoring
Inspect trees in August to see if infestation is general and severe enough to threaten fruit. No treatment thresholds have been established for woolly apple aphids. Begin monitoring in midsummer or earlier during mild winters.

Control
Treat perennial cankers and remove suckers in summer to eliminate a source of population development. Prune out water sprouts in August and paint large pruning cuts with commercial pruning paint to discourage aphid populations.

A leaf miner is an insect which in its larva stage eats the tissue of plants. There are different kinds of leaf miners, such as moths, flies and sawflies. If left untreated, it can cause serious damage to the plant.

Identifying leaf Miners

Leaf miners are generally nondescript black flies and their larva causes the damage. The plant damage done by most leaf miners is roughly the same. The damage appears as yellow squiggly lines on the leaves. Damage done by a leaf miner can also appear as spots or blotches.

Spruce budworm is found throughout the Canadian boreal forest. They mainly feed on balsam fir and white spruce. They can also be seen on trees such as red spruce and black spruce. The damage caused by this insect results in severe loss of leaves from the tree, due to which the tree dies after four or five years. The spruce budworm outbreak occurs every 20-40 years. According to data, the last budworm outbreak in Québec affected around 58 million hectares of boreal forest.