With the warm weather comes the time to think about dormant season sprays earlier than usual. It is important to plan to monitor for mites, including two-spotted spider mites, European red mite, and apple rust mites beginning in March.  

For European red mite (ERM) begin monitoring for eggs in March/April at silver tip stage

• Look for eggs on 3-10 trees per block
• Take 10 spur-samples over 3-10 trees and look for eggs near flower and leaf buds on wood

If eggs are found on 100% of spur samples with 11-50 eggs each, you may consider adding a miticide to your oil spray. If ERM eggs are found on bark, consider adding miticide with additional application of early season oil at tight cluster. Excellent miticides include Apollo SC, Envidor 2SC, Magister SC, Nealta SC, Onager Optek 1EC, Savey 50DF, and Zeal 72WP. Please refer to the Midwest Fruit Pest Management guide for miticide options. If 10% of spurs are infested with eggs, then apply 0.5% oil at tight cluster.

Between budbreak and half an inch green, consider a petroleum oil at a rate of 2% v/v to target mites, woolly apple aphids, other aphids, and San Jose scale. If you still need to apply closer to bloom, drop the rate to 1% application up to tight cluster. There is a 12hrs REI with the oil. Oils are contact materials so it is best to wait for a sunny day with good weather to apply to make maximum contact with moving insects. Coverage is key with oils as they work by suffocating insects and mites that are becoming active in the spring. Early season pruning to remove infested branches and open up the canopy will help improve coverage.

Remember that shortly after petal fall is when you would want to apply Movento to control woolly apple aphids for maximum efficacy. For more information on early season sprays for insects and diseases, please see this article from Dave Schmitt at Rutgers University.

This article was posted in Insects and tagged apple rust mites, Christelle Guédot, dormant season, dormant sprays, European red mites, insect control, insects, mite, Mites, two-spotted spider mites.