Minneola Tangelo Tree with bugs!

Uh-oh, something is eating my Menneola tree! I think it's scale, but what can I use to get rid of them without hurting the brand new fruit 'buds'? Would neem be ok? Please help! Thanks, Christina

I just realized as I'm looking at this photo again, that there are no leaves on this branch either. All the branches with the bugs have no leaves. :( What should I do? Is it too late? So sad!

Hi cnswift

I do not see what is eating your plant but I have had similar problems with some of my citrus. The trees I seem to have the most issues with are my Pummelo & 'Honeybell' Minneola Tangelo.

We use the least toxic chemicals we can so I use an oil spray (Organocide) or an insecticidal soap (Safer Insecticidal Soap). Organocide is made in Stuart Florida and consist of sesame oil and fish oil. If Organocide is not available locally just type ‘Organocide’ in Google and you will have many choices to choose from. I buy the concentrate of Safer Insecticidal Soap & Organocide and mix it in a 1 Gallon pump up sprayer.

These sprays have worked pretty well for me. I have heard from a couple of knowledgeable people that a couple of weeks after you fertilize you should spray preventively with the oil spray and it will help prevent the munching bugs that like the new growth as well as the leaf miners.

Good luck with your tangelos…

DW

Looks like scale to me...brown soft scale (being farmed very effectively by the ants!)

Small infestations can be controlled just by wiping off with a Qtip in alcohol. Larger infestations will need to be treated with an oil spray.

Control of the ants will help a lot, because the ants feed on the honeydew and in turn provide protection the scale. There is something called horticultural glue which is applied to the trunk of the tree which will help with the ant population.

SB

Thanks guys, that's good advice. It is a small infestation for now, so I think I can do the q-tip method, but I'll spray too. Is neem oil ok as the oil spray? I use neem elsewhere in the garden and love it. I wasn't sure if it would hurt the fruit buds. The ants are going crazy on them, you're right! I'll look for the glue too.

I spray with alcohol. doesn't seem to bother anything but the scale. Must be repeated though. Neem is good but can cause leaf scald on sunny days, as can any oil.

I also use neem and it does work well. I agree with Penn_Pete about spraying in the heat of the day. I usually spray in the late afternoon when I get home from work and have not had problems with most plants. When spraying your fruit trees you should avoid the buds anyway. I know it is not always possible but do the best you can. I use the same cautions when using the insecticidal soaps as well.

I have had problems similar to yours and once you get the pest under control it will pop right back.

Good Luck

DW

oh good! I'll try that today. Thanks you guys.