What to do if the leaves of an apple tree are covered with cobwebs, how to fight it and what to treat it with

Almost no garden can do without apple trees. Fruits, rich in vitamins and microelements necessary for humans, are liked by adults and children. Beautiful, covered with snow-white flowers or bending under the weight of the harvest, tree branches are a source of pride for a gardener. Therefore, it is especially offensive if cobwebs appear on apple trees; they are affected by diseases and pests.

Source of cobwebs and signs of apple tree damage

If cobwebs appear on the apple trees, this is a sign that the trees have been attacked by pests. Most often these are different types of caterpillars. If a problem is detected, it is necessary to immediately treat the apple tree, otherwise you may be left not only without a harvest, but also lose the fruit tree. What insects can cause cobwebs to appear on an apple tree and how to fight them, this will be discussed.

Apple moth

This pest of fruit trees is known to gardeners as the ermine moth. Caterpillars are dangerous for apple trees. Their ability to protect themselves from frost with shields allows insects to survive the cold, and when temperatures above zero, pests become more active. The caterpillars intensively feed on greenery for almost a month and a half; the gnawed leaves curl and dry. And then the pest pupates in a nest formed from cobwebs.

After a couple of weeks, a small silver-white butterfly appears and lays several dozen eggs covered with a protective shield. The butterfly creates a clutch on the bark of young tree branches.

If the apple tree is not treated in a timely manner, the pest can destroy a young seedling and even an adult tree. Deprived of foliage, entangled in cobwebs, apple trees produce a depressing sight, and often do not tolerate frosty winters.

Winter moth

A brown-gray butterfly with underdeveloped wings that cannot fly is a female winter moth.The harmful insect destroys up to half the leaves on the tree, and affects fruit trees (pears, apple trees) and most other deciduous trees.

The males of this pest are light gray in color, with rounded wing edges. Butterflies of this species appear in the garden when the summer heat subsides. They can lay eggs until mid-December. They are not afraid of temperatures down to -15 °C. These insects are active in the evening and at night. The female lays eggs under the bark of trees, on branches, at the base of the buds.

The emerging bright yellowish-green caterpillars with a dark stripe on their back very quickly destroy tender buds and fresh green leaves. The caterpillars are active for a month, then they descend along the web woven in the leaves, pupate, climbing underground in the area of ​​the tree trunk, and wait for autumn.

Gypsy moth

Butterflies belong to the moth family. Females are distinguished by a thick cylindrical abdomen and white wings. Males have light brown wings with dark patterns and a thin abdomen. Individuals are active in the evening. Males fertilize females sitting on the bark of trees, who lay a huge number of eggs on the bark. There can be up to 1000 of them in a clutch.

In the spring, caterpillars emerge from the eggs, the large bristles of which allow them to be carried over considerable distances by gusts of wind. The small caterpillar is yellow, the adult is dark, almost black. The gypsy moth destroys the buds, leaves, and flowers of the plant. The development period of the caterpillars takes 30-50 days, during which time they destroy deciduous trees over a wide area and then pupate.

Ringed silkworm

Butterflies of this species are also called ringed cocoon moths. Females are much larger than males.All individuals are colored in shades of brown; depending on the region of distribution, they can be light or dark in color.

For laying eggs, the butterfly prefers young thin branches, arranging the eggs in an even ring.

The caterpillars are large, up to 5.5 centimeters in length, with bright multi-colored (white, blue, orange) stripes and bristles characteristic of silkworms. They appear during the period of swelling of the buds, destroy them and young leaves, while forming huge clumps of cobwebs.

Apple wormwood

The name psyllid that this insect has is due to the small size of the pest. It is greenish in color, with transparent wings, and about 3 millimeters long. By the end of the summer season, individuals become darker. The insect lays eggs in folds of the bark, on the bud bases. In the spring, larvae emerge from them, which, as they grow, are capable of destroying all parts of the apple tree (buds, greens, even young bark).

Spider mite

A small arthropod insect from the arachnid family. Individuals are up to 1 millimeter, transparent, greenish in color, becoming red or brown over time. Pests feed on plant sap. They reproduce especially actively in dry, hot weather. These pests are capable of attacking trees of different species. When spider mites spread in the garden, and the weather is favorable for them, all trees and shrubs become covered with cobwebs.

Spider aphid

This pest appears along with the spider mite. Aphids quickly attack young, succulent parts of the apple tree. It also feeds on plant sap; leaves affected by the pest first swell, changing color, and then dry out.

How to treat an apple orchard for cobwebs

Answering the question of what to do if cobwebs appear on the branches of apple trees, it should be noted that there are many effective ways to combat cobwebs in the garden. These are folk remedies used in the initial stages of infection, and complex industrial insecticides that help defeat pests in case of serious damage to the garden. Of course, each gardener decides for himself how to deal with the scourge.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies involve the use of decoctions of medicinal herbs (celandine, yarrow, dandelion, tansy) for spraying fruit trees.

Important: such products can be used every 4 weeks, the main thing is to alternate them, since pests quickly get used to them.

In addition, the plantings are sprayed with infusion of shag or onion peels. Effectively, to combat caterpillars, use a mixture of wood ash and laundry soap.

Chemicals

When choosing how to treat apple trees against pests, you should prefer complex agents that are effective against most insects. For example: Fufanon, Karbofos, Tanrek, Fitoverm. Today, biological preparations that protect against pests have appeared; they are safe and effective in use.

Bitoxibacillin

The drug is harmless to people and insects, but destroys most garden pests (adults and larvae). Use in strict accordance with the instructions.

Bicol

The biological product, classified as a bacteriological plant protection product, is effective against a huge number of garden pests (about 80) and is safe for humans.

Endobacterin

An effective product suitable for controlling most types of caterpillars and other pests of garden trees. More effective in warm weather conditions.For caterpillars and butterflies, 2 treatments are carried out with an interval of 7-10 days.

Spraying with biological preparations

Produced in warm, dry weather, in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. To avoid an allergic reaction, you should wear safety glasses, gloves, and respiratory protection.

Mechanical method of combating apple moth

Methods of mechanical control apple moth include arrangement:

• birdhouses that destroy garden pests;
• pheromone traps that lure males, preventing them from fertilizing females;
• catching belts.

Some species of wasps destroy apple moth caterpillars by laying their eggs in them.

Agrotechnical techniques

They include timely getting rid of weeds, digging up the root circle of apple trees, whitewashing the trunks and, if necessary, treating the trees with garden varnish. Timely pruning of trees also helps reduce the likelihood of pests spreading.

Timing of treatment

To protect apple trees from caterpillar invasion, trees are treated several times per season..

Before the buds open

The first treatment is carried out in the spring, when dry weather sets in and temperatures above +10-15 °C. Trees are treated with preparations of the gardener's choice. This effect allows you to destroy the larvae of caterpillars that feast on young buds.

After bud break

After the buds open, a second treatment is carried out. You can spray the trees with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate.

During flowering

It is better not to treat trees with insecticides during flowering. During this period, it is recommended to collect cobwebs manually.

During fruiting

If necessary, treatment is carried out with biological preparations at least three weeks before harvest. During this time, the substances become harmless.

Final processing

It is held in the fall, after the trees have shed their leaves. Trees are processed in dry, windless weather at +8-10 °C. For processing, Bordeaux mixture is used, which is easy to purchase at a garden store. The trees are treated without sparing the working solution. They also spill the soil around the apple tree to destroy the pupae.

Prevention of pest occurrence

In the spring, before the buds open, you should carefully inspect the trees. Larvae, when detected, are scraped off manually. You should dig up the apple trees and whiten not only the trunk, but also the lower branches. If cobwebs appear on the branches, they need to be collected and burned.

During the spring-summer season, you should carefully inspect fruit trees. When a web is detected, it is immediately removed and burned. In addition to all the indicated methods, the caterpillars are knocked down with jets of water when watering or shaken off onto a cloth or polyethylene spread under a tree, and then burned.

With careful attention to your own garden, timely processing and application of a set of pest control measures, the likelihood that apple trees will be seriously damaged by caterpillars and other insects is very small. In response to your care, the plants will respond with an enviable harvest.