2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Fruit sapwood is almost ubiquitous and damages all fruit crops. True, he loves apple trees most of all. Slightly less often, it can be found on elm plantings, as well as on hawthorn with dogwood. Both the beetles and the larvae of these parasites continuously feed on the not yet dead tissues of markedly weakened fruit crops. The trees attacked by them freeze in winter, noticeably retard in growth and are characterized by a significant decrease in yield and a deterioration in the quality of the harvested fruits. The appearance of these pests is direct evidence that the plantings are weakened
Meet the pest
Fruit sapwood is a dark brownish shiny beetle measuring 3 to 4 mm in size. Its elytra are black-brown or dark brownish tones. All individuals are endowed with rather wide and short pronotums, as well as slightly sloping small abdomens, without any tubercles and teeth.
The size of oval eggs of harmful parasites ranges from 0.4 to 0.8 mm. As a rule, eggs are colored white. Larvae that grow up to 4.5 - 5 mm in length are characterized by a yellowish or whitish color and are endowed with dark brown chairmen. And the little white pupae reach 4.5 mm in size.
Middle-aged larvae overwinter in multiple passages. Closer to the end of spring, more precisely, in mid-May, the active larvae, which have completed their development, quickly gnaw out numerous expanding chambers closer to the ends of the passages and after a while pupate in them. A couple of weeks later, through these air holes, the formed bugs are selected out, the years of which can be observed from early June to mid-July. Beetles usually settle on thick tree branches and boles, additionally feeding on the short moves they make. By the way, these pests are characterized by monogamy.
Female pests make their way under the bark, gnawing holes of impressive size. In the enlarged areas at the beginning of the uterine passages, dangerous parasites mate, and a little later, the females make new uterine passages up to two centimeters wide and up to five to six centimeters long. They gnaw such passages usually in the longitudinal direction, between the sapwood and the bark. And from their sides, females make tiny pits, into which they subsequently lay eggs. By the way, dangerous pests' eggs are clogged with dense corks from the side of the uterine passages. And the total fertility of harmful females reaches fifty to one hundred eggs.
After seven to nine days, the larvae revive, equipping on both sides of the uterine passages non-intersecting corridors near the borders of the bast and sapwood. First, they gnaw through the transverse passages, and a little later - along the damaged wood.
As soon as sufficiently cold autumn weather sets in, the larvae finish feeding, and then settle in the passages until next spring. For fruit sapwood, one-year generation is characteristic.
Not only in terms of harmfulness, but also in terms of their development cycle, wrinkled sapwoods are close to these parasites - they also damage fruit trees, however, preference is given to stone fruit species.
How to fight
Dried fruit trees must be uprooted in a timely manner, and damaged branches must be removed and immediately burned. Trees should be watered regularly during the summer. It is also necessary to constantly fight against sucking and other parasites that weaken trees. In healthy and sufficiently strong trees, the passages of harmful larvae are usually always filled with juices, which in turn provokes their death.
With the onset of spring, when the years of harmful bugs start, tree trunks and branches are sprayed with insecticides.
Birds such as titmice with nuthatches, woodpeckers and some others are considered natural enemies of fruit sapwood. In addition, a number of predatory insects are not averse to feasting on these pests - funny toddlers and hungry thrips, as well as spectacular speckles and numerous rove beetles. And the harmful larvae are systematically infected by riders representing the families of the insatiable euritomids and braconids. Representatives of the pteromalid families, as well as eulophid and ichneumonids, also do not stand aside.
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