![]() ![]() Place the traps in mid-August before the adult wasps start emerging, and remove them in early December when wasps are no longer to prevent trapping beneficial insects. Hanging yellow sticky traps in the lower canopy of the infected trees.Avoiding over-fertilizing in spring as this promotes excessive spring flush which attracts the adult citrus gall wasps.This method is not recommended when the normal emergence period is too close as the wasps can emerge from the cut galls. Opening the galls with a razor blade and killing the larvae inside has proven to be a successful method when pruning is not an option.Exit holes mean that the wasps have already left the gall and removing the branch would be meaningless. Before pruning make sure there are no signs of exit holes on the galls. Seal the branches in plastic bags and throw them in the rubbish, or better burn or mulch them. Pruning out branches affected by newly formed galls.Getting rid of citrus gall wasp can be difficult but damage can be minimized by: Organic Control Measures for C itrus Gall Wasps The monitoring is best to be done between June and September when you can easily detect the galls. When monitoring for citrus gall wasp infestation, search for the presence of galls on young, green twigs. Eggs are usually laid under the bark of young spring shoots. The life span of the adult wasps is about a week during which a female can lay up to 100 eggs. How to Identify a Citrus Gall WaspĬitrus gall wasp adults emerge around October. Once larvae hatch, they start feeding on the stem tissue, causing woody galls that can weaken trees, which may result in reduced yield, and in case of a heavy infestation, branch dieback. The wasp lays its eggs into the stems of citrus trees. Most susceptible are lemons, grapefruits, oranges and rootstocks. Citrus Gall Wasp ( Bruchophagus fellis) Nennieinszweidrei / Ĭitrus gall wasp is an Australian native garden pest which natural host is the Australian finger lime but all citrus varieties can be attacked. Keep in mind that by the time damage is noticeable it is usually too late to take effective action. You can try and knock them off the tree with a strong jet of water, collect them in plastic sheets and destroy them later as suggested here. Monitor your trees carefully and take action before the damage becomes severe. The control of this pest is difficult because of the quickness with which these beetles defoliate a tree and move on to the next. Organic Control Measures for Christmas Beetles The damage they cause is visible as jagged, ripped leaves. Depending on the species, their colour vary from yellow-brown to red-brown. The adult beetles are large, about 25-30mm long. Identifying these scarabs is easy because of their shiny exoskeleton. Active between November and February, grown Christmas beetles can devastate newly established eucalypt plantations and isolated trees within a few days because of their swarming behaviour. The larvae of the Christmas beetle live in the soil and feed on grass roots, while the adults are leaf-eating and attack most eucalypt species. It is organic bio-insecticide that can effectively control these pests.Ĭhristmas beetles are widely distributed throughout Australia. These herbs’ strong smell confuses the cabbage white butterfly. Plant herbs such as dill, basil, fennel coriander and sage.The leaves are toxic to the caterpillars, and when they hatch, you can count them dead. This plant attracts these butterflies and moths to lay their eggs on it. Plant land cress, Barbarea vulgaris, somewhere in the garden.The white cabbage butterfly and the cabbage moth are territorial insects and they avoid places where the competition for food may seem high. Cut white ice-cream or yogurt containers in the shapes of butterflies and put them on stakes around your garden.Place vegetable mesh on top of your plants to prevent eggs being laid on them.Pick the caterpillars by hand and either squash them or feed them to the chooks.Provide nest sites around your garden to attract insect-eating birds.Enhance the environment for the natural predators of caterpillars, such as ladybirds, assassin bugs, lacewings, paper wasps. ![]()
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