Inch Worms in my Apple Trees

[Dalton]

I was fertilizing and mulching my young apple trees yesterday. I found inch worms trying to eat the leaves. My VFT had a few new traps that just opened. . . I think the other inch worms understand now.

I totally felt like Neegan off TWD.

 

[curtisconners]

Those inch worms might eat their way out of those traps. I don't think it's likely, but it could be possible.

 

[Flip_Side_the_Pint]

in europe they have 2.54cm worms

 

[Dalton]

Flip_Side_the_Pint. Luckily this is 'Merica, where we have inchs, feet, soccer, general awesomness. None of that little used metric stuff.

They actually talked about going teaching metric when I was in either middle school or 9th grade. I also have to deal with it at work some, because customers occasionally send in prints in mm. Then I have to work my magic and turn it into real numbers.

curtisconners I do admit I thought it might be a possibility, but they've decimated my baby apple trees by eating all the leaves off of them for 2 years and it just felt right. Also, as much as it was wiggling, that trap closed up tight.

I started getting a little control over them last year. I've had to dust them with enough Sevin Dust to make it look like a white Christmas or a weekend at Charlie Sheens. I haven't dusted them yet this year, so I won't be transferring that to my VFT. I really didn't want to use Sevin Dust as I have to wear rubber gloves and it kills beneficial bugs as well, but all the recommended sprays I tried had zero effect on these worms. I'm just trying to get them past worm season and give them a chance. I'll have to find something else once I get my honeybees this weekend.

 

[DragonsEye]

in europe they have 2.54cm worms

I started getting a little control over them last year. I've had to dust them with enough Sevin Dust to make it look like a white Christmas or a weekend at Charlie Sheens. I haven't dusted them yet this year, so I won't be transferring that to my VFT. I really didn't want to use Sevin Dust as I have to wear rubber gloves and it kills beneficial bugs as well, but all the recommended sprays I tried had zero effect on these worms. I'm just trying to get them past worm season and give them a chance. I'll have to find something else once I get my honeybees this weekend.

Especially as these are smaller trees, have you ever tried Neem oil?

 

[Dalton]

I haven't and I want to. I've heard good things about neem oil and I've looked for it when I've gone in various garden centers. I just haven't seen it yet. I know it's good for smothering scale and stuff like that, but have you tried it on the inch worms? Another reason I don't like the Sevin Dust is it seems like it's blocking out the sun from getting to the leaves, which would block photosynthesis. I don't think that'd be a problem with the neem oil.

 

[DragonsEye]

You can get it here:

Home INDEX

Note, the biz is run by an older couple. There is no shopping cart. You can place an order via phone or email.

 

[FLTropical]

Neem doesn't work on inch worms in my experience. BT on the other hand wipes them out in a day or two.


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[pearldiver]

Flip_Side_the_Pint. Luckily this is 'Merica, where we have inchs, feet, soccer, general awesomness. None of that little used metric stuff.

They actually talked about going teaching metric when I was in either middle school or 9th grade. I also have to deal with it at work some, because customers occasionally send in prints in mm. Then I have to work my magic and turn it into real numbers.

curtisconners I do admit I thought it might be a possibility, but they've decimated my baby apple trees by eating all the leaves off of them for 2 years and it just felt right. Also, as much as it was wiggling, that trap closed up tight.

I started getting a little control over them last year. I've had to dust them with enough Sevin Dust to make it look like a white Christmas or a weekend at Charlie Sheens. I haven't dusted them yet this year, so I won't be transferring that to my VFT. I really didn't want to use Sevin Dust as I have to wear rubber gloves and it kills beneficial bugs as well, but all the recommended sprays I tried had zero effect on these worms. I'm just trying to get them past worm season and give them a chance. I'll have to find something else once I get my honeybees this weekend.

All I am saying, is give bees a chance!

 

[Dalton]

FL Tropical, what do you mean by BT?

pearldiver, I'm definitely giving my bees a chance. I'll have to cut out that Sevin Dust once they get here. Not that I can get any flowers on them anyway.

 

[DragonsEye]

FL Tropical, what do you mean by Bt?

Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki is a species of bacteria. When ingested by a caterpillar, the bacteria proliferate rapidly in the caterpillar's gut to the point wherein the gut is so full of bacteria that there is no room for food. With the gut completely "stuffed", the larva quits eating and literally dies of starvation. Bt is commonly sold in liquid form to be further diluted with water so it can be sprayed on plants.

Good suggestion, FL .... I had forgotten about Bt.

 

[Dalton]

I'll definitely have to try that. The only thing I worry about is that they are small plants and if they loose a lot of leaf matter, it really sets them back for the year. BT appears to take 2-3 days to kick in. That means that the worms can chew on the leaves for all that time.

 

[FLTropical]

They say 2- 3 days, but in my experience it's much faster than that. I saw results in 24 hours. And plants have lots of reserves - if they lose that much leaf area they will grow it back rapidly. It's a hormonal effect of leaf loss.


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[Dalton]

I'll try to pick some up from my local feed and farm. I was gonna go by anyway and see if I could find some diatomaceous earth for my worm bin anyway. I've got fire ants trying to nest in it. I figure the DE will get rid of the ants without hurting the worms.

 

[fredg]

You may try looking at nematodes for future protection.