Fall Twig Aphid Control

Fall is normally not the time when growers are considering doing treatments for Balsam Twig Aphids. That is until a few growers got to experimenting with treatments and found that a fall treatment might just prevent them from having to treat the following spring when they are busy with other chores. That would be great in a year like this one where it was raining every other day and growers couldn’t find a good time to spray for twig aphids. It appears that the window for making these fall twig aphid treatments is wide open. Growers can start with treatments during August, September or October. Even treatments later in the year may work. The insecticide that seems to be working the best is Talstar. Growers will still need to scout for twig aphids, rust mites and spider mites in the spring, but this could be a good alternative to a calendar based application. To learn more about these fall applications, plan to attend the Mitchell Co. Christmas Tree Growers’Assn. meeting on September 14th.