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c5tiger

Ambrosia beetle killed my pawpaw

c5tiger
9 years ago

Anyone have problems with ambrosia beetles? They killed my large gold kist apricot and 3 year old Susquehanna pawpaw. The apricot was going to get removed anyway so no big lose but really hated to lose my pawpaw.

Comments (11)

  • Bradybb WA-Zone8
    9 years ago

    I've read they can be a problem for Pawpaw.There is a guy in Tennessee that told me they killed a small tree of his one time. Brady

  • c5tiger
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    You wait 3 years and finally have flower buds just to have it die. I have a mango pawpaw but no pollinator for it. Its a big setback.

    Will Bayer Advanced applied in the spring kill ambrosia beetles? It list borers on the label but I read most chemicals don't work on ambrosia beetles.

  • outdoor334
    9 years ago

    systematic insectides won't work on ambrosia beetles because they don't feed on cambien layer. they bore at heart wood.

    I have lost 8 or 9 trees to these borers (2 this spring). The only thing you can do is set traps (using alchol in a cup with a lid and entry holes) to monitor when they are active. when you see them in the traps, spray the bark with perthriod insecticide. I'm learning that you have to kill them before they get in the tree.

  • c5tiger
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Outdoor, what types of trees did you lose? How often do you spray? Do I need to worry about all my trees or just certain types?

  • outdoor334
    9 years ago

    last spring, I lost all apples (about 6 of them). This year, they decided to attach 1 peach, 1 pear and plum tree. They seem to like any young fruit trees. These things are turning into a big issue for me.

    I did not spray at all in march and I should have. next spring, I plan on spraying every 3-4 days in march. i will spray in feb if i see them in traps i will also set. As of last week, i'm spraying phrethoids on the lower 3 feet of bark every few days. I will stop in april as this beetle is a issue in spring (first generation).

  • marc5
    9 years ago

    At the Kentucky State U pawpaw open house last fall they suggested one thing to reduce ambrosia beetle risk: do not let brush piles build up near your orchard. The beetles like brush piles.

  • bamboo_rabbit
    9 years ago

    I am in central Florida and the Ambrosia beetle has left it's mark. I had a large redbay tree in the yard and one day I noticed what looked like toothpics sticking out of the tree. A week later the entire canopy turned brown and they leaves flagged (stayed on the tree dead). Over the next year they killed as far as I know every redbay tree in the county...you would see them dead everywhere you looked. The flagged leaves made them really standout The people down south were worried as I guess they will use the avocado trees as a host as well.

    Way it works is the beetle lays eggs and the larvae do not kill the heartwood or the cambium.......they have a symbiotic fungus in their gut, born with it and the fungus attacks the cambium killing it and that is what the beetle larvae feed on, the fungus. Far as I know it is 100% fatal. The only good thing is their host trees are very limited.

  • bennylafleur
    9 years ago

    In the late Spring freeze in 2007 the Ambrosia beetles got to a persimmon tree. The next time I saw them was 3 years ago, they attacked a pawpaw and a persimmon. Then in each of the last 2 years they have attacked a pawpaw.
    So this year I decided to spray before they have a chance to do their damage. I have sprayed once, and hope to spray about once a week in the future, using permetherin.

    Benny

  • Ernie
    9 years ago

    I'm having trouble with them here in NC, as well. Last year they bored into one of my potted naval orange trees. The tree survived, but, in retrospect, I probably should have removed it. This year, they've attacked one of my figs. As much as it pains me (it has a nice looking breba crop), I think I'm going to cut it back severely in order to keep them from spreading further.

  • Ernie
    9 years ago

    I'm finding that the infestation in my figs is much more widespread. After cutting three back to the ground, I discovered that my favorite tree also has beetles. Rather than cut it back, I tried a new strategy -- late yesterday, I inserted a small piece of wire into the holes and wriggled it around vigorously.. When I checked back this morning, there was no new sawdust coming out of the holes, so I'm cautiously optimistic that I might have gotten them. I'm sure that the fungus has already been introduced, but perhaps without the beetles to cultivate it won't get a foothold. Has anyone else tried this approach?

  • bennylafleur
    9 years ago

    Last week I found that the beetles had just started boring in a plum that I had received earlier and had put in a pot . I wrapped the trunk in a cotton rag and soaked it with strong permetherin, then wrapped that in Saran wrap to prevent it from drying out. Hopefully that will stop the little guys. As far as the fungus they leave, wait and see what happens. I will take the cloth off one day and see if the beetles are making any more sawdust.

    Benny