INSECT UPDATE

Numerous insects are pests on peach trees in South Carolina. They cause damage to the peach flowers, fruit, twigs, limbs and trunk. Some of the most common of these are plum curculio, Oriental fruit moth, peachtree borer, lesser peachtree borer, shothole borer, catfacing insects, scale, Japanese beetle and the green June beetle.

As a result of the need to control some serious insect pests as well as disease organisms, individuals who grow peaches in their backyard for home use often discover that obtaining acceptable quality fruit requires more specialized care than they can give. It should be noted that without the application of well-timed pesticides, it is common for insect pests and disease to ruin the entire crop as well as damage the tree(s).

Information courtesy of the Clemson Cooperative Extension’s Home & Garden Information Center.

Insect update from Sarah Scott, Commercial Horticulture Agent, Clemson University:

“Growers are still keeping an eye out for San Jose scale. Although many growers do not do a post-harvest spray, scale are still active and if a grower has a particularly high population or an area where scale was bad this season, apply a summer oil, diluted dormant oil or a light oil like TriTek which could reduce populations for next year. Growers should be mindful that a full rate dormant spray may defoliate the trees, so scale down.”