Woolly Aphids

One of our apple trees has woolly aphids. This is not a good thing! These nasty little things eat bark and roots and generally just reduce the health and production of the trees. They also spread from one tree to another. Luckily, there are several things we can do about it.

We have done a bit of research and seen nothing about using Bronner’s soap to deter them but Josh rubbed the colony off one spot on the tree, applied Bronner’s several days ago and we haven’t seen as many on the tree since.

Ladybugs and beneficial nematodes are the two solutions that seem most feasible so we’re going to encourage a population of each by buying them. The nematodes that attack woolly aphids are steinernema carpocapsae; these also help control fleas and other pests. We’ll monitor the progress; hopefully it won’t get any worse. The tree already has apples on it, and other than the fact that it needs to be planted ASAP (and has woolly aphids) it looks really healthy.

However, since the roots are exposed and we can see galls on them (a sign of these aphids) it seems pretty certain that the roots are infested and that is NOT a good thing. This particular tree came from the neglected corner of a local greenhouse so who knows how long it has been infected.