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scottfsmith

Latex paint for peach borers

Scott F Smith
11 years ago

I have recently discovered a borer problem in my peaches. I have dug out all the worms (I hope) but several already matured to adults so I need to control the next batch. I would appreciate experience reports on people who have used latex paint as a control. I was planning on painting a 50-50 water-latex mix from about 6" high and then about 3" underground, digging up the soil right around the trunk to get the paint in. All the damage I found was underground which is why I want to paint underground, but none of the recs I found mention that.

Scott

Comments (10)

  • alan haigh
    11 years ago

    http://nysipm.cornell.edu/%5C/grantspgm/projects/proj06/fruit/kain.pdf

    Someone once posted this here and although it's a study pertaining to dogwood borer on dwarf apples, results should be the same for peach borers. Latex white paint at full strength painted on rootstocks was as affective as Lorsban in deterring damage through burr knots. I think you can proceed with confidence, although I suspect Lorsban would be better if there are still borers in the trees. I think the neonictenoids are also affective.

  • gator_rider2
    11 years ago

    Search "Bug Juice" that what Pecan industry developed for Weevils once bug tracks on bug juice he goner Log Home people jump right on to this. You mix at rate pint to gallon Latex paint you can paint Kitchen wall and ceiling with mix that how safe it is last for 2 year inside home.

  • windfall_rob
    11 years ago

    I have been using gypsum cut with latex (before that just latex) to try to control roundheaded apple borers.

    I don't know how similar the species are but....

    It has been only marginally effective. I am not convinced it does all that much to deter egg laying, but it does make it very easy to detect the larva presence early and get at them before damage is severe if you make routine walk through inspections mid summer. The brown ooze/frass just screams out against the white paint.

    Now I need to go read that article Harvestman linked to.

  • alan haigh
    11 years ago

    The latex needs to be laid on real thick. Sprayed on after mixing 50-50 with water didn't work at all in the study. I think you should keep the gypsum out of it. Thank God for quality research.

  • windfall_rob
    11 years ago

    I agree about quality research. Not much beats a well run study with good control groups. I didn't know any had been done on this. Lookig forward to reading it this evening.

    The gypsum mud was not my own idea but comes from a few respected organic growers. I think their intent was to essentially thicken the latex to get a deeper coating in a single pass. It does go on wicked thick. I think some folks are now trying to use Surround and/or diatamacious earth in the mix. I imagine these amount to little more than convenient on hand filler when bound in a latex matrix, and without a binder would need constant upkeep.

    I used straight latex for about 3-4 years, and the mix now for 2-3....have not noticed much difference in effect...but I am far from a study group.

    I also realized that my statement about egg laying deterrent might not be fair since I don't have a control group to compare to. But the damage to young trees has been about the same every year starting with 4 years of nothing on the trunks. The big difference is now I catch the damage early, and the tree usually recovers within a year instead of being killed outright and figuring out why as I inspect the ruined crown after the fact.

    Damage by the end of last summer just about had me ready to jump ship on all organic and give Lorsban a try..but even those severely damaged trees are rebounding well this year

  • Scott F Smith
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the link to that study, I will do the paint at 100%. Given how bad the problem is I will do a pass now and paint again in the late fall, checking in detail at re-painting time. In my front orchard I killed at least 5 worms and found about a dozen cocoon shell things meaning quite a few already came out. A couple dozen trees are infested. Fortunately none are looking horrible, they are hanging in there for now.

    Scott

  • mrsg47
    11 years ago

    I lost a white nectarine and a Green Reine Claude Plum due to borers. Killing the worms (larva) only damaged the trees; both trees became infected and died. I should have painted the trunks. Now I spray and watch the trunks daily. This was also due to being new to fruit trees and not being sure of what to spray and when. I really learned how specific I must be with my spray schedule.

  • alan haigh
    11 years ago

    Scott, would you consider mounding up soil over moth balls and then painting a few weeks later?

  • Scott F Smith
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hman, it seems like they will not be hard to control with paint alone, as long as I am paying attention a couple times a year. We will see though.

    Scott

  • franktank232
    11 years ago

    Is Lorsban even available to the homeowner? Is the stuff really that bad? If its only going on the lower half of the trunk, you would think exposure would be limited?

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