pear slug

Discussion in 'HortForum' started by muriel, Jul 25, 2009.

  1. muriel

    muriel Member

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    For the second year my hawthorn and pear have been attacked by what my horticulturally trained daughter tells me is "pear slug". The leaves look as if leaf miner is the problem but looking a little closer little black worms are visible. I used "tanglefoot" this Spring and gave the soil a good dose of marine and mine own compost. I've managed to kill, manually, (i.e. squished with my fingers) and blasted with the hose the little pests on the pear (a four in one tree) but the hawthorne is far too large to cover in that manner. Has anyone had experience with this infestation?
     
  2. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    I used to get these on my Montmorency cherry tree, but they weren't numerous. So I left them alone; and, after a few years, they disappeared and haven't been back. They are the larvae of a sawfly; tanglefoot won't have any effect on them. You can control them with various sprays; but, if they aren't causing a lot of damage, it might be better to leave them alone for a while and see what happens.
     
  3. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Same problem here. Wild cherry plum seems to harbour them but it also goes the old Hawthorn hedges. The one flowering cherry and minature pear that get it i dust with vacume cleaner dust or talcum powder. A strong water jet used to get rid of them as well but that has not been possible since water restrictions.

    http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/INSECT/05560.html

    Liz
     
  4. muriel

    muriel Member

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    Thanks Liz and vitog. I like the "leave it alone and maybe it will go away" answer. The hawthorn is such pretty tree and is in a such prominent spot that I was hoping a magic solution would be available. I used "tanglefoot" because of the two stage life cycle, part of which takes place in the soil. The infestation was later this year.
     

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