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You can fight cobwebs on an apple tree in spring in different ways. At the beginning of the season, chemicals are used for this. They are also used for prevention in late autumn or early spring. At the fruiting stage, only biological insecticides or folk remedies should be used. Agrotechnical practices will also help.
Why does the apple tree become covered with cobwebs?
Cobwebs appear on apple tree branches for various reasons, and they are almost always associated with pests. Some of them are microscopic in size and invisible to the eye (for example, spider mites). Others can be seen even from afar (caterpillars, leaf rollers). The main pests that cause spider webs to appear in the spring are described below.
Apple moth
This is a butterfly that is also called the ermine moth. In the spring, webs are woven on apple trees by caterpillars that pose a particular danger to fruit crops.They adapt well to different climatic conditions, are protected from the cold thanks to special shields and become active when it gets warmer.
Caterpillars actively feed on young greenery for 4-6 weeks, which is noticeable by gnawed, twisted and drying leaves
After this, the pests pupate, weave a nest from the web and settle there. After another two weeks, a butterfly with silver wings appears. She lays many eggs on the bark of young shoots, from which larvae will hatch again, and the cycle will repeat.
Moths cause great damage. She not only weaves a web in the spring, but also destroys young greenery and shoots. If the invasion is large, young seedlings may even die. This is due to the fact that due to damage to the leaves, photosynthesis processes are disrupted, and the trees survive the winter worse.
Spider aphid
There are several varieties of aphids, including the spider aphid. It gets its name because it forms a web on leaves and young shoots in spring and summer. It is difficult to notice it visually, since the size of the body is small.
Most often, aphids appear together with spider mites. This is a dangerous pest that feeds on plant juices. You can determine the invasion not only by the web, but also by the foliage. It swells, the color becomes yellowish, after which the leaf blades dry.
Webs may be caused by aphids
Ringed silkworm
Damage is primarily caused by caterpillars
Cobwebs on apple tree leaves in spring also appear because of the ringed silkworm.These are butterflies with grayish-cream wings, they are also often called ringed cocoon moths. Individuals are divided into females and males, the latter being noticeably smaller. The color can be either lighter, with brown tints, or dark.
The caterpillars are quite large, reaching a length of 5-5.5 cm. The body is covered with stripes of blue, white or orange, and has bristles characteristic of a silkworm. The invasion begins in the spring during the swelling of the buds. Caterpillars massively destroy young foliage and shoots and form large clumps of cobwebs.
Butterflies also harm apple trees - they lay eggs in the form of rings on young thin branches. After a few days, brown caterpillars emerge from them. All day long they do not make themselves known in any way - they remain motionless. And at night they begin to intensively feed on leaves and flowers, leaving cobwebs. They attack young greenery in the spring, which can cause serious damage to the apple tree.
Winter moth
This is a brown-gray butterfly with underdeveloped wings, which is why it cannot fly. The insect is extremely harmful - the invasion of moths destroys a significant part of the leaves on the apple tree in the spring, sometimes up to half.
Males are light gray, their wings have rounded edges. They eat leaves and leave webs in the spring and summer. The danger is that insects can withstand temperatures down to -15 degrees. They lay eggs under the bark, on branches and at the base of buds even in winter. Pests become more active in the evening when the heat subsides. They are also active at night.
A few days later, green-yellow caterpillars appear; their bodies have a dark stripe along their backs. They feed on young buds and green leaves.They actively develop for four weeks in a row, spin a web over the leaves and descend along it to the soil. Then they pupate, climb underground and live there until autumn.
The winter moth caterpillar is capable of destroying the entire crown of a young tree
Apple wormwood
This is a psyllid with a greenish body and transparent wings, the length of which does not exceed 3 mm. They feed on apple tree leaves. By the end of summer they darken and lay eggs under the bark and at the base of young buds. In the spring, the larvae hatch from them, after which they again feed on buds, greens and even young bark.
They secrete a sticky, sweet liquid called honeydew. It somewhat resembles a spider's web. Dew contaminates the surface and promotes the spread of insects, as well as dangerous sooty fungus. Its appearance can be determined by the following signs:
- blackening of the trunk, foliage, as if they were covered with stove soot;
- plaque can be easily wiped off with fingers or a wet cloth;
- the leaves turn black and dry out.
As a result of the vital activity of the apple tree, the apple tree lags behind in development, the fruits are covered with black soot, and they are unpleasant to eat.
The plant's immunity is weakened, and productivity decreases.
Spider mite
Another common reason for the appearance of cobwebs on an apple tree in early spring is spider mites. It is a small arthropod and belongs to the arachnid family. He is not an insect. The pest affects fruit and berry, ornamental, vegetable, and flower crops, and it is found everywhere in temperate regions.
It spreads especially actively if the weather is dry and hot without rain in spring or summer.At this moment, you can notice how not only the shoots and foliage of apple trees, but also other trees and shrubs are covered with cobwebs.
It is difficult to notice a tick visually, since its body is microscopic in size. But you can determine the invasion by external signs:
- cobwebs on the back of leaves, on shoots;
- the inner surface of the leaf plates becomes white;
- spots of a silver, cream or scarlet hue appear on the outside.
Codling moth (leaf moth)
The codling moth is a common pest that leaves cobwebs on apple trees in the spring. Lays eggs on the outside of the leaf. Two weeks later, small pink caterpillars appear from them. This time is just during flowering - pests actively feed on buds and unopened buds.
After the formation of pupae, the leaf plates are rolled up into a tube and then overgrown with cobwebs, which is noticeable in spring and early summer. The pest is very common, so it is better to deal with it as early as possible. First, the insects are removed manually, then the bark is cleaned and treatment with biological insecticides or folk remedies begins.
Codling moths destroy crops
hawthorn
Cobwebs on a young apple tree in spring may also appear due to hawthorn. It is quite large, so it is easy to notice this insect visually.
Butterflies do not cause much harm; caterpillars are the most dangerous
They are green-brown and blend into the background. They feed on young leaves, roll them up and cover them with cobwebs. Nests hang on the branches, which are easy to find in the spring, collect by hand and burn. If this is done in a timely manner, the invasion can be avoided.Otherwise, the caterpillars will spread en masse and feed on buds and buds.
Gypsy moth
This is a butterfly with a light brown body and wings. It is characterized by exceptional fertility - in one clutch there are several hundred eggs, often up to 1000.
The caterpillars form within a few weeks, hatch, and begin to feed on young shoots and foliage, spreading throughout the garden.
They form a web, destroy leaf blades, then pupate. Then butterflies of clearly different sexes appear. Females have a thick, cylindrical abdomen and white wings. Males have light brown wings, dark patterns, and a noticeably thinner abdomen.
Both of them become more active in the evening. Males mate with females right on the apple tree. After this, the latter lay eggs under the bark, and the cycle repeats again.
What to do if a cobweb appears on an apple tree
If pests are detected, you need to carefully inspect the tree and remove the insects manually, and then carry out a total treatment. For this, folk remedies are used, but if their effect is insufficient, chemicals are also used. During fruiting, it is advisable to use biological agents. Typically, pest control is carried out comprehensively, so the agrotechnical methods described below are also used.
Folk remedies
If, due to caterpillars on branches or other pests, the apple tree is caught in a cobweb, it can be treated with folk remedies. These are natural solutions or decoctions based on plants, soda, wood ash or other compounds. The main recipes are:
- infusion of tobacco dust or wood ash 300 g per 10 l;
- water infusion of nettle, celandine (500 g per 10 l);
- decoction of marigold flowers (same amount) or onion peels 300-400 g per 10 liters and others.
You can use home methods to eliminate pests that leave cobwebs
Chemicals
The most effective way to kill insects that cause apple trees to become covered with cobwebs in the spring is with chemical insecticides. Among the effective means are the following:
- "Aktara";
- "Decis";
- "Insegar";
- "Omite";
- "Fufanon";
- "Match";
- "Koragen" and others.
Biological products
Biological preparations differ in that they contain not chemicals, but strains of bacteria or other microorganisms that destroy insects. To get rid of cobwebs on apple trees in the spring and at other times of the year, it is recommended to use the following products:
- "Bitoxibacillin";
- "Entobacterin";
- "Verticillin";
- "Bikol."
Agrotechnical techniques
To combat insects that leave cobwebs on apple trees in the spring, conventional agrotechnical methods are also used:
- digging up the tree trunk circle;
- mulching;
- whitewashing the trunk;
- treating the bark with garden varnish;
- pruning in early spring.
Processing times
To reliably protect the apple tree from pests that weave webs in the spring, you need to treat trees and seedlings several times a season:
- Until the buds open. When consistently warm weather sets in (from +10 in the daytime), insecticide treatment is carried out.
- After all the buds have bloomed, spray again.
- During the flowering period in the spring, the trees are carefully inspected, cobwebs and other signs are found, and caterpillars and other insects are removed by hand.
- At the fruiting stage, treatment is done as needed. I use only biological products or folk remedies.
- Finally, after the leaves have dropped in the fall, a final spraying is carried out. This is a preventive measure to prevent the appearance of cobwebs on the apple tree next spring.
Treatments are carried out several times before and after flowering
Preventive measures
Since it is often not so easy to get rid of insects that leave cobwebs on an apple tree in the spring, it is therefore better to prevent an invasion of pests. To do this, you can use the following measures:
- destroy weeds in a timely manner;
- do not plant apple trees next to cruciferous plants;
- periodically feed the trees;
- be sure to remove all fallen leaves in the fall and take them away;
- carry out regular pruning;
- close hollows;
- treat wounds with garden varnish;
- remove root growth.
Conclusion
There are several ways to combat cobwebs on an apple tree in the spring. The work must be comprehensive - spraying with preparations, observing preventive measures, digging up the tree trunk, timely pruning. It is important to understand that the invasion can be very strong. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly inspect trees and begin destruction as early as possible.
