Plum Curculio

I believe most of my baby plums have plum curculio. Many have small holes, others have 1/2 moon shaped scars. I tried to post photos from my wifes camera and my cell phone, but I am photo illeterate. I am pretty sure this is what I have. Is it too late to do anything about it? If not, what now? Thanks,
Mike

Here is a photo.

Here is another

Yep, those D-shaped scars are the curculio egg-laying marks.

Be sure to pick and and destroy all that fruit to prevent the larvae from maturing. In your zone, the curculio can have a 2nd hatch later in the year.

If you have any sound fruit left, spraying is about the only way to control this pest.

Maybe I should move. lol Is all of the fruit that is already marked doomed? Should I pick off all that are marked now? I guess any spraying at this time would be to protect the non-infected fruit. Thanks,
Mike

The curculio worm usually kills much of the stone fruit before it matures, and the wound serves as an entrance for brown rot.

If there is non-affected fruit, you ought to make it your priority.

Thanks again L Tilton. Should I go ahead and remove any with scars and any with holes?

Probably, if you can. The odds on them becoming ripe and sound are low, and the odds of the larvae maturing to hatch again this season are high, if you leave them.

I always pick up and destroy all the fruit as it falls. I often cut it open to see what was wrong. Some of it looks sound, just the tree pruning itself. Some of it has a worm inside. And too often I find a spoiled fruit with a hole where the worm has departed to pupate in the ground.

So I would also assume you can't find and remove all the damaged ones and assume a 2nd hatch, anyway. Be ready to spray.

I will probably spray tomorrow. I have 5 large bags of surround that I recieved in the mail. I remember reading about spinosad a few months ago. I was at lowes last night and saw a bottle and bought some. Should I put that in with my first spraying of surround? Thanks again L Tilton.
Mike

I'm not familiar with Surround personally, although I've read about it.

It is said to be effective against the curculio. There are unfortunately no widely-available biological controls for this pest.

Mike, get the fruitlets covered with Surround pronto. The spinosad is not a help on them but is a help on the next wave about to attack, the moths. They will be coming very soon so you can start including it already as well I would say. I use Surround on curculio and it provides good enough control that after thinning away the damaged ones I usually have a good amount of perfect fruit left. Since you already have so much damage you may wish for a better control. The curculio is also very good at damaging every single fruit so don't be too surprised if you have only a couple good ones in the end. Just spray early next year. Fruit growing is a multi-year lesson requiring patience.

Also try to pick up any falling fruit because the worms in those guys are your next generation of pests.

Scott

Thank ya'll both! Would "a better control" be a mixture of an all purpose insecticide/fungicide for fruit trees mixed with surround? It is suppossed to be windy and rainy tomorrow. I will spray Thursday. I have a few oak trees that I had planted by some men in a truck a few years ago. The acorns always have holes in them. Is that plum curculio also. I wonder if I bought those trees already infected. Thanks again,
Mike

Sure, that will add to the punch. I don't think curcs like acorns.

Scott

I bought 5 25lb bags of surround at peaceful valley farm supply ( http://www.groworganic.com/item_PMB380_Surround_25_Lb.html ) for $29.99 each. Gardens alive and Arbico organics both want more than $70.00 per bag.

I'd like to try it - if I can find a place to get it locally at a reasonable price.