How to Treat European Red Mites on Fruit Trees

You have what you think is an infestation of European red mites on your apple trees. You need to know how to treat your fruit trees when dealing with such an infestation, and this can be tricky. Here's what to do when you find you have a European red mite infestation.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Know the types of fruit trees the European red mites affect. They generally prefer apples, pears and plums to other types of fruit trees.

2. Check for damage such as yellowing or bronzing of leaves and webbing. This is a sure sign you'll need to take further action.

3. Spray over-wintering eggs with a dormant horticultural oil just before the leaf buds open in the spring. This will keep the eggs from feeding on the newly opened foliage and weakening your apple tree.

4. Apply insecticide such as diazinon, dicofol or insecticidal soap if you happen to notice the problem after bud break in spring. This is required to control the already feeding red mites on the fruit trees.

5. Employ some natural enemies to your control plan. Although you'll have to temper your insecticide if you do so, it is sometimes more beneficial to the general ecosystem and the food you are producing to use natural controllers of red mites such as phytoseiid mites.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be afraid to try new ways of controlling the pest population in your orchard. There are many great companies ready and willing to help you select organic alternatives to pesticide sprays that work. Gardens Alive! has great options for those who prefer a more natural approach to control mites.

Resources

• Gardensalive.com for more tips