something is eating my lemon tree

Discussion in 'Citrus' started by patrickg27, Aug 11, 2007.

  1. patrickg27

    patrickg27 Member

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    Location:
    Mullins SC
    i found what is eating all of the new growth like crazy i have sent pictures.!!! please help
    but i dont know what kind of stuff to kill the bugs with!!!!
     

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  2. skeeterbug

    skeeterbug Active Member

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    Hi Patrick,
    I can't identify your bug (although it looks a little like the white fringe beetle that we used to have as a pest on soybeans), but I can give you several options on killing them. Soapy water is the safest, but you have to be able to spray it directly on the pest (it kills by drowning). The next best choice would be spinosad, it is an extract of a bacterial fermentation and considered organic. It is highly toxic to insects but not mammals, however it is not very persistent ( a few days in sunlight). It's persistence can be imporved by using horticultural oil.

    The other options are common pesticides such as malathion and permethrin, malathion is not very persistient.

    Skeet
     
  3. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    First step is to identify the bug. I've had a look at a few of the Pests of Florida Citrus from the University of Florida Department of Entomology and Nematology "Featured Creatures", but I wasn't successful (even though I thought I'd made good guesses, I apparently didn't).

    It does look like a beetle of some sort, so perhaps a search on www.bugguide.net can help pin it down.
     
  4. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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