Oak tree insect invasion

[dingeryote]

Sawdust, ya know...I never hit those stupid 2 and 4 point meetings/classes either.

The College boys seem to think they should all be held at 5PM right in the midst of our silly season, and expect us to drive 30 miles each way and pay 10 bucks for the two hot dogs and Salmonela salad....just to hear the same thing each time. "Scout the field for XYZ"....WTF do they think we are doing? Spraying for the thrill of it at 60 bucks an acre? ROFL!

I'll hit the 8 hour class in the middle of winter and get it over with. You ain't alone..the dorks never credit me with the points when I did hit meetings anyhow.

Not sure about the mineral oil. Did your ag supplier have parrafinic oil as a replacement?
The soap works without the oil, so don't delay on knocking the population down while ya can. Dang things go parabolic at a certain point.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Sagetown]

Okay, here's the deal about Mineral Oil. Baby Oil is Mineral Oil. It's food safe for humans. Pharmacys carry both baby oil and mineral oil. The cheapest mineral oil may be found at your local Animal Veternarian. It's animal safe, but not recommended for humans, because it's not refined. Cost is about $11 per gallon. So if I were to use it, I'd begin with a very weak solution, and see if it works.

Sorry, but my iPhone thinks it knows what I'm trying to say and says something entirely different.

 

[Sawdust7]

I called the extension office today to inquire about CEUs and got in a class for tomorrow night over in the next county. "Farm Planning" of all courses. Been doing this for 25 years but it's never too late to learn something new. Heck, I may even learn that I've been doing it wrong all these years. This one is 20 bucks and a meal. Oh well, she said there are no 8 hour classes between now and october, just one 5 hour in October. I'll stay clear of the salad for sure. The agent told me I have to have 15 credits for renewal and that there are plenty of classes before October for me to get them. I got home today and sprayed up about twenty feet on the tree with the little Ortho homeowner type dial-a-spray set at 2oz per gallon of dish soap. I think I nailed the little critters and will post back Friday with, hopefully, a good update. If it doesn't work I will at least have some very clean bugs and a tree with dish pan leaves. I didn't use Palmolive since it's not a Palm tree. First time I ever got in the shower pre-soaped lol. I am pondering the "call a pro" idea, sounds tempting and yes, I can get on with other things and not be tied up treating my "oak" tree that just found out it's an ash. LOL

 

[Sawdust7]

dingerote: " . . . and expect us to drive 30 miles each way and pay 10 bucks for the two hot dogs and Salmonela salad...." How about 35 miles, 20 bucks, no hot dogs but de-hydrated bread sandwiches and no sugar for the tea?

Anyway here's where I'm at, Set my sprayer up today and going to try early in the morning with hopes the wind will be low. Going to try 42ozs of dish soap in 35gal of water for starters??? I hope it works because the leaves are begining to fall. It looks like I made progress with the dial-a-spray thingy for as high up as it would reach but my 40psi spray pump only reaches about ten feet higher. I may be getting up 30ft. I'll add some sur-fac just to give the soap more sticking power. I haven't found a root drench in very large jugs but gonna keep looking. The Ag class went good but didn't cover the areas I need like broadcast herbicides and sellective herbicides. It was covering conservation and pond maintenance. And oh don't let me forget the wonderful "meal". I came home starving. Needed a hammer to soften the bread and pretend there was sugar in the tea. Lettuce more resembled spinach. Oh well.

 

[Sagetown]

The soap water will do damage to them for sure. Warm soapy water may work even better. Maybe you could fill the container and let it set over night to raise the temp.

 

[Sawdust7]

I put about 25 gals in to stir the soap in but it was pretty late in the evening and my well water is pretty darn cold. Got a block heater for the tractors but ya have to have metal to attach it to so scratch that. I'm going to shoot from under the tree so I can better get the bottom sides of the leaves where the sorry little critters hide. If I have any left then I will hit the tops from outside the drip line.

 

[dingeryote]

I put about 25 gals in to stir the soap in but it was pretty late in the evening and my well water is pretty darn cold. Got a block heater for the tractors but ya have to have metal to attach it to so scratch that. I'm going to shoot from under the tree so I can better get the bottom sides of the leaves where the sorry little critters hide. If I have any left then I will hit the tops from outside the drip line.

Don't worry about warming it up. Just hit 'em with the soap and it breaks down the oily film that protects them from the environment.

The Organic Hippies use a variation that works the same way.
Guidelines for Insecticidal Soap

NUKE EM!!!!!!!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Sawdust7]

Well I date back to the hippie era so I should be quite comfortable with organic soap. Heck, I just recently learned that my cows could make organic milk and now the cows themselves are organic. In the way back days I thought organic was dirt.

 

[Sawdust7]

Finally found the Bonide tree and shrub with 1.47% Imidacloprid and hope it is going to do the trick. Label calls for1oz. per gallon per inch in circumference. 32 +32 don't quite make 76 but if I use the Jethro Bodine calculations, aught times aught, it could come out to 76. It'll have to do anyway.

Sprayed up about half the height of the tree yesterday plus the China Berry and Pear trees close to it. I do believe I've knocked them back enough to give the root drench time to take effect. Most of the leaves that I sprayed the first time have brown spots so I may have over done on the amount of soap. A lot of them have fallen off too. Oh well. Told the Waf that Joy tastes better than Dawn and she sure gave me that peculiar stare.
:msp_angry: + :msp_confused: =

 

[dingeryote]

Finally found the Bonide tree and shrub with 1.47% Imidacloprid and hope it is going to do the trick. Label calls for1oz. per gallon per inch in circumference. 32 +32 don't quite make 76 but if I use the Jethro Bodine calculations, aught times aught, it could come out to 76. It'll have to do anyway.

Sprayed up about half the height of the tree yesterday plus the China Berry and Pear trees close to it. I do believe I've knocked them back enough to give the root drench time to take effect. Most of the leaves that I sprayed the first time have brown spots so I may have over done on the amount of soap. A lot of them have fallen off too. Oh well. Told the Waf that Joy tastes better than Dawn and she sure gave me that peculiar stare.
:msp_angry: + :msp_confused: =

Good show!! LOL!!

For a short time anyhow, the imadaclorpid will go systemic from the foliar contact, so the little darlings will be killing themselves when they take a bite out of the tree. More will die over the next couple days, and further up from where you could reach with the sprayer.

If you set up the sprinker to spray the drip line for a couple days, you'll get some uptake once the imadaclorpid gets into the root zone as well.
How much I dunno.

Those brown spots are more likely from the infestation than from dish soap. I wouldn't worry about it.

Never let the bugs win!!:msp_thumbsup:

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Sawdust7]

Well, radar shows a whole mess of rain comung this way so I may have to wait a day if the ground gets too saturated. Got the tank cleaned and ready to fill so I can run the chemical around the tree. The label says to go out 3 to 4 ft. from the base but it seems to me that the drip line should also be drenched. There are several roots running above the ground level so I will for sure soak around those. Not many Aphids on the porch today so the soap did good. I'm thinking of submitting a request to the U.S, Department of Trees for a newly discovered tree species. This one is an Oashk tree and I think it could be the only one in existance. I did finally confessed to the Waf that I just thought I was a "professioal expert" on types of trees but I was wr-wr-wro-wroo-wrong. :frown:

 

[Sawdust7]

Full

Good show!! LOL!!

For a short time anyhow, the imadaclorpid will go systemic from the foliar contact, so the little darlings will be killing themselves when they take a bite out of the tree. More will die over the next couple days, and further up from where you could reach with the sprayer.

Now I didn't spray any imadaclorpid on the foliage, just the dish soap. Were you under the impression I did spray imadaclorpid? Should I?

 

[dingeryote]

Now I didn't spray any imadaclorpid on the foliage, just the dish soap. Were you under the impression I did spray imadaclorpid? Should I?

Heck, I thought you had sprayed the tree. Absolutely do so if you didn't.
Imadaclorpid has pretty good initial knockdown and will go somewhat systemic through foliar contact.
What drips off, will still get into the root zone, so there is no loss.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Sawdust7]

Well, I reckon I set the pump back up tomorrow and spray then use the remaining to drench around the tree. I'll go get another 32oz jug tomorrow to make sure I have enough. Thank you dingerote, I'm glad we had this talk. Like I said, I may not know what I'm doing but I'm an expert at it.

 

[Sawdust7]

Well it's been a touch and go week with the Waf. She had some serious issues with her heart but she is doing fine now. I finally got time today to do the spray with the Bonide tree and shrub with the Imidacloprid. I had just finished the root drench Tuesday morning when she called from work and said she was coming home then to ER. Needless to say, the tree had to wait. The aphids have diminished a lot from the first spray with the dish soap and sur-fac. I'll keep progress posted. Thank you all for the expert advise.

 

[dingeryote]

Sorry to hear about the wife..Hows she doing?
I hope everything is alright.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Sawdust7]

Thank you for the concerns dingerote and Sagetown, makes us feel like we have extended family of which I guess this site is. She is doing a lot better and will probably go back to work tomorrow. She had another EKG today and waiting for the results from the doctor. Lately she has been under some stress from anticipation of losing a brother who was in Hospice care but finally went Home Friday night. I think that relieved her a lot because he is no longer suffering. Having to deal with some of her employees at work doesn't help the matter much either. Those things take their toll on her and we suspect she let her resistance go down. She's a tough cookie and I'm sure she'll be around a long time. She's gotta be tough to put up with me lol. Right now that oashk tree is on auto pilot, gonna stay in more with the Waf. You guys are the greatest. I will post back.

 

[Sawdust7]

Well I guess it's a success. The tree is sprouting new growth like crazy and no signs of any Aphids. I truly appreciate all of the expert help from you guys and now I reckon I got the chainsaw bug back since I've been back to this site. Now I'm getting the urge to track down the parts for my old ProMac 610 and get her up and running again. My Mom paid for it after Hurricane Alicia and I drove it. Can't bring myself to get rid of it. The Waf is back to normal and that is wonderful. She said she ain't gonna let me off that easy lol.
Thank you all so very much for all you've done, Frank

 

[dingeryote]

Well thats good news!!

Wife is back in good health and all the creepys are croaked.

The gents over on the Chainsaw page will likely be able to get ya up to speed on that old Mac., as far as spiffing it up.
Carefull though, you might end up with a shed full of saws faster than you can count the things...it happens.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Sawdust7]

Most important is the Waf of course. With all the bugs gone from the tree, I got her as my backup for "bugging" me. Wouldn't have it any other way though. Everybody have a safe and "Memorable" Memorial Day. Frank
:soldier: