Apple tree advice required

b.j.lawson

Hello All.

New member here and my first post is asking for advice on an apple tree.

We have recently been enlisted to help look after a relatives garden (2.5 acres) of mixed environs that include an orchard with lot of varieties - some old and some new.

I've noticed a few trees with canker that I will be dealing with over the winter but  I noticed one tree with what I think is a Wooley Aphid (see attached pictures).

Am I correct? if so what is the best action I can take?

Thanks in advance.

Brian

Obelixx

The non chemical control is to scrub them off with a stiff brush.

Have a read of this info from the RHS - https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/woolly-aphid and then decide what is best for you but, in an orchard producing fruit you want to eat, I think it's best to stick with the non chemical methods they advise.

purplerallim

It maybe difficult for you in an orchard,  but I hose washed my tree that had this for the first time this year. I did it three times in the growing season, and it didn't hurt either the tree or growing apples, and the aphids never became overpowering @b.j.lawson 

b.j.lawson

Thanks for the replies.

Just to be sure - it is Wooley Aphid?

I can get a hose to it, either mains pressure or a Karcher :-)

Do I leave it as is over winter and take action to remove at the start of the growing season in late February/March? 

Just for info, the orchard is on the Fife coast.

Obelixx

Looks like woolly aphid to me.  Try using a hose pipe and spray gun, maybe with a  stiff brush if needed.  I think a Karcher would strip the bark too and that would kill the tree.  I'd wait till the sap starts rising so February but not if it's freezing.