Fight pests on the apple tree

What you need:

• Caterpillar glue ring
• Moth trap
• milk
• Washing-up liquid
• Beeswax
• Potash grease soap
• spray bottle
• water
• Bird's nest or house

Not all pests always have to be on Apple tree be fought immediately. You should definitely tolerate a certain number of pests. After all, they form the basis of food for other animals. For example, live Ladybug of aphids. But there are not always enough enemies for the pests. If the infestation gets out of hand and even endangers the harvest, control measures are necessary.

How to fight pests on the apple tree

• The most famous pest is the codling moth. It is a butterfly whose larvae attack the fruit. The larval infestation can be recognized by the round holes in the apples. Inside is the larva. Colloquially it is said that the apple is worm-eaten. Control is only possible through preventive treatment with an appropriate insecticide.

• You can also build a bird's nest and place it in the tree to counteract the codling moth pests, because the birds need the worms to raise their young. In this way, you can quickly and naturally get rid of the worms in your apple trees.

• The apple blossom piercer is a weevil, the female of which lays eggs in the buds. The buds are destroyed by this pest so that no flowering can occur. In this case, too, only preventive treatment with an insecticide is possible.
• Aphids are known to every hobby gardener. If your apple tree is attacked by aphids, you can remedy this with a spray. This is not a poisonous chemical, but a means that spoils the aphids' appetite. This has the advantage that the aphids have disappeared shortly after the treatment and no toxic substances remain on the apple tree. A mixture of about ten parts of water and one part of detergent is also effective. To do this, carefully brush the affected areas.


Fight apple tree pests with home remedies

Your apple tree is infested with apple tree pests. So that this tree in the next ...

• You can protect your apple tree against caterpillar infestation with a so-called caterpillar glue ring. This is wrapped around the trunk at a height of about one meter. Since the caterpillars always climb up the trunk from below, they stick to the glue ring and can no longer cause any damage to the leaves. If your apple trees have deep furrows, it is advisable to smooth them out beforehand so that the pests cannot crawl between the glue ring and the trunk. Apply the glue ring in the fall and remove it at the end of May. Make sure the glue side is on the inside so that small birds don't stick to it.
  
• You can protect your apple trees from the fruit miner moth with so-called moth traps. These are small containers that hold an attractant for the moths. Simply hang this in the crown of the apple tree. From time to time you should check the trap and replace it if necessary.

• mildew looks like the name - like floury dew. Fight powdery mildew on the apple tree with a mixture of 10 parts water and one part milk, sprayed on the infected areas. Powdery mildew can be very persistent, so fight it in good time. Often a cure is not enough, you may have to. repeat again.

• You can recognize worms on the apple tree by the web around them. Often they settle at the end of branches. The best thing to do here is to cut off the affected branches and immediately put them in a plastic bag with the general waste. Don't forget to re-seal the interfaces with beeswax.

• Mix a lye from potash grease soap, which you spray undiluted on the infestation of spider mites and aphids in order to eliminate them.

Detect pests on the apple tree in good time

• Take a good look at your apple tree regularly, especially in spring and summer. Do its leaves look healthy? Do they have discoloration? What about its flowers or fruits? Are they well developed? Walk along each branch; you may find yourself in higher places. binoculars help.
• You should check the apple tree particularly intensively if there are neighboring plants or pests have appeared in neighbors.
• When you fight the pests on your apple tree, you also eliminate the pests around the apple tree. Otherwise the tree will be infected again.

Prevention against pests in apple trees

• Pest infestation is often due to a weakened immune system in the apple tree. Prevention is better than having to fight the pests later.
• In the spring, fertilize the apple tree generously with a thick layer of compost and mulch.
• When you prune the tree, seal the interfaces with beeswax.
• Establish ladybugs in your garden.

Other authors: Dr. Kathrin Kiss-Elder, Janet Hartung