acid or alkali for mites

Discussion in 'Garden Pest Management and Identification' started by ssi gardener, Nov 26, 2008.

  1. ssi gardener

    ssi gardener Active Member

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    Does anyone know if pear tree mites like an acidic or alkaline environment? I'm thinking in terms of trying to outwit the little rascals by presenting them with a hostile habitat. I remember reading somewhere some time ago that someone sprayed a tree with nettle tea (alkaline), but I can't recall what pest they were after. Anybody got any ideas about this?
     
  2. jimweed

    jimweed Active Member 10 Years

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    Not too sure about the Ph environment for Mites.

    Mites are a tough control. It's always good to count predatory mites against the pest Spider Mites. The balance can change back and forth, spraying can upset this balance to the worse. If the damage is not too severe and predatory mites are present then it often a good idea to wait it out and hope predatory mites regain control. Although one article I read says: "Pear cannot tolerate the level of spider mites needed to support populations of predatory mites." I am not sure if this is to say "written in stone" for all Pear varieties and climate zones, but does raise the concern for considering spraying.

    During the dormant season Dormant Oil/Lime Sulpur can be used to smother or burn the eggs. Lime sulphur can also be used during the summer at a cut rate to burn all the life stages of Mites. Traditional chemical miticides are complicated, toxic, and expensive. Almost a thing of the past for non-commercial orchard use.

    Your suggestion of trying to create a hostile environment is a good one. If Nettle tea is something you are considering, then I would try a mixture on a specific area of infestation and see how it works. Good luck,, Jim.
     
  3. ssi gardener

    ssi gardener Active Member

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    Hi Jimweed! Thanks for the information. So far red spider hasn't entered into the equation yet and frankly, I hope it never does--one pest at a time please. :-) The pest is the pear blister mite and the infestation is massive. Yes, everything I have read says trying to get rid of them is like dipping water with a sieve. It doesn't work, except for violent chemicals and I'm not into that. However, not being one to give up too soon, I think, with the encouragement of you, my fellow gardener, I will go where I have never gone before and try the nettle tea spray. Working on the theory that pear trees like a somewhat acidic environment, I presume the leaves also are the same and the mites like that. Problem is I won't find out until next spring whether 'theory outstrips performance'. Maybe I'll have to drink the tea myself for a spring tonic to get over my bile at having wasted yet another season of pears. Cheers and keep gardening! The mites need us.
     
  4. silver_creek

    silver_creek Active Member

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    I have had pear blister mite appear in our orchard. We got rid of it quite easily. We sprayed Lime sulfur and oil at leaf fall, to the point of dripping. We sprayed again, lime sulfur and oil, right before bud break. No blister mites appeared that summer, but we repeated that fall the spray at leaf fall. That was 7-8 years ago, and we have not seen it again. We do a delayed dormant spray of lime sulfur and oil annually, at blossom stage 4, but no other controls.
     
  5. jimweed

    jimweed Active Member 10 Years

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    I have not dealt with Blister Mites before so out of curiosity I had to Google these. Silver Creek seems to have hit the nail right on the head. Late summer and early spring are the times recommended for control. Dormant oil and lime sulphur would also be my choice of product to be used.

    I hope you are as fortunate as Silver in gaining control of these little pests! Not to mention this spraying will also control Scab on your fruit! Have a nice day,, Jim
     
  6. ssi gardener

    ssi gardener Active Member

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    Hi Terry, I apologise for not having answered sooner, and thank you for your reply. I'm happy to know that someone actually got rid of the little beasts. It seems both you and Jim agree on this treatment. However, I'm a bit wary of using lime/sulphur/oil, having read the cautions regarding this mixture. According to instructions it shouldn't be used near evergreens and bodies of water. We have fir and arbutus nearby as well as a small pond down the slope to our vegie garden. I'm presuming, though, that they're referring to large scale applications with carelessly used sprayers which might carry the drift to other locations in a breeze. Maybe treatment of one small tree, carefully carried out, wouldn't wreak too much havoc on the nearby environment. With all this snow around I'll have plenty of time until spring to weigh my verdict, which is certainly leaning toward saving the little tree, and your success is 'proof of the pudding'. :-) By the way, not being an orchardist, will you please tell me--what is blossom stage 4? Lynetta
     
  7. silver_creek

    silver_creek Active Member

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    Look at the third page of this basic disease management sheet-
    It is a very basic home orchard info sheet.
     

    Attached Files:

  8. ssi gardener

    ssi gardener Active Member

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    Hello again Terry, Thank you so much for the website address. It's very informative. I had never seen a chart like the one included there. If one picture is worth a thousand words this chart is delightfully wordy! Maybe others on our forum will take a look at it as well. Hope you and yours have a great Christmas, and all the best to you in the New Year, Lynetta
     

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