Insect spray for apple trees.

[Erik M]

I spray with lime sulphur and dormant oil before the buds open once the frost is done, and again with Ambush after the blossoms are gone to keep the worms and caterpillars off the trees. Cannot use Ambush while the tree is in blossom as it is deadly to pollinators. Seems to be a good combination as no issues with worms for years.

AMBUSH® Tree & Garden Insect Killer

 

[Jstpssng]

Another thing which will help in the future is to clear the ground of apples and other litter, so that the pests don't have anyplace to spend the winter.

 

[RalphVa]

I do dormant oil spray early. Blossom stage, BT so any larvae are controlled, pollinators not effected. Once blossoms drop, BT & fruit guard (pyrethrum) about once/week. Have had good results. Any apples that do get worms, etc, into green bin/garbage.
Have 8 apple & 2 pear trees so not a big orchard

In NJ, I just did the dormant oil sprays. Nothing else. Never got worms. There, I never got the witches crook either nor brown rot.

 

[Paddy]

I spray with lime sulphur and dormant oil before the buds open once the frost is done, and again with Ambush after the blossoms are gone to keep the worms and caterpillars off the trees. Cannot use Ambush while the tree is in blossom as it is deadly to pollinators. Seems to be a good combination as no issues with worms for years.

AMBUSH® Tree & Garden Insect Killer

As others have said, the first sprays are often the most important. In the Fall and early spring before bloom, Dormant Oils are useful. Some fruit trees benefit fungicide sprays at bud first pink.

Avoid most sprays during flowering stage to let your pollinators do their work. For insects, fist real spray is at petal drop. ( petal drop is not when all the petals have fallen, it is when the flowers are no longer interesting to bees.)

For our peach trees, we found that Trazicide (insect) and Captan (fungicide), sprayed every 10-14 days was the trict to good fruit. I was thing strategies to reduce sprays but fear a year of no peaches...

Talk with your local extension agency for what are the common pests in your area.

 

[Jstpssng]

I have not needed to begin a spray program for my fruit trees yet but the only three things I've used in my garden and on my grapes are Copper, Permethrin, and Spinosad. That last replaced Bt for Colorado Potato beetle and works great for vegetables; the only drawback is that it also will kill pollinators so I need to be careful not to use it when anything is in bloom. I spray sparingly, and try to do it at dusk.