A couple of my small pear trees have infestations of these mites that are showing themselves as red dots covering the now unfurling leaves. They don't seem to do very much damage but I'd like to keep their numbers from building too high nonetheless. I tried an oil and lime-sulphur domant spray on a very small tree where I could ensure complete coverage, but it appears to have done no good at all. That was in early February.
Any other ideas? I don't suppose a blast of insecticidal soap would bother them... would it?
[url:2f16wh3d]http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/PESTS/pearlfblmite.html[/url:2f16wh3d]
The site you link suggests doing the spray after harvest.
My sister had them pretty bad on her pear tree last year as well. I was planning to try to apply neem oil to it this spring but didn't get to it and there weren't many rain breaks.
It sounds like it may not have helped anyway.
From reading this winter I was of the impression that once the blisters are forming it is too late. They are already safely under the surface.
my sisters tree last spring
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