1. Pest control in the home landscape Jonathan H. Crane, Tropical Fruit Crop Specialist University of Florida, IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead

2. Issues related to pesticide use for homeowners Remind home owners that:  The label is the law and they must use the product according to label directions.  Follow the label, if they have questions contact the Extension Service for advice.  That pesticides are toxic and there are safety issues for mammals, beneficial insects (e.g., bees) and themselves.

3. Issues related to pesticide use for homeowners  The they should mix only enough material to do the job. If some is left over it should be sprayed on the crop or another labeled crop rather than poured down the drain or on to the land etc.  Pesticides need to be stored in a secure, locked cabinet or room; especially out of the reach of children.

4. Issues related to pesticide use for homeowners For large fruit trees which are very hard to spray, it may be better for the home owner to contract or hire someone with a license to spray pesticides. Some landscape companies have the expertise and license to spray pesticides. However -  Make sure the company and/or its spray person has their pesticide license.  Ask what pesticide they will be using and what is its toxicity rating (caution, warning, danger).  What is the preharvest interval between spraying the crop and harvesting the fruit.

5. Home Pest Control Strategy – When do you need a pesticide? For insect problems - before recommending any chemical control to home owners, recommend home owners to:  Identify the pest or have it identified. In some cases the “pest” is actually a beneficial.  Scout the tree thoroughly to determine how extensive an infestation has occurred and on what plant part(s). If there are just a few insects here and there, control of any kind may not be warranted or just physically killing (squeezing, mashing) the pest may be the best answer.

6. Home Pest Control Strategy – When do you need a pesticide?  Based on the degree of infestation and what the pest is, take note of the time of year. If the pest problem occurs just before cool/cold weather, no treatment may be necessary as freezing temperature may kill the pest during the winter.  If the infestation is light, most likely the tree can live with it and it may disappear or nearly so “naturally”.

7. Home Pest Control Strategy – When do you need a pesticide?  If the pest pressure is high and the tree’s health will be severely impacted then some type of control is warranted. I strongly suggest that the least toxic materials be tried first. This usually includes horticultural oils (or citrus oil), vegetable oils, and insecticidal soap products. Lastly, try the more potent chemical products.  As always, we need to stress that people follow the label directions and protect themselves and the environment from contamination and poisoning.

8. Home Pest Control Strategy – other pest control agents  Horticultural oil for control of Citrus Leaf Miner, mites, aphids, and greasy spot control. Follow directions carefully and don’t apply if temperatures are above 95 o F and/or low RH and/or trees are drought stressed.  Bacilus thuringiensis also called BT for control of moth (Lepidoptera) larvae. There are a number of brand names available. Follow label directions.

9. Home Pest Control Strategy – other pest control agents  Vegetable oil for control of whiteflies, aphids, spider mites, and other pests. There is no data on efficacy of using vegetable oils such as corn, cottonseed, peanut, safflower, soybean, sunflower, etc. Usually it is mixed with baby shampoo. The rate quoted was 2 ½ fluid oz. of soap per gallon of water plus 1 tablespoon of dish washing liquid in 1 gallon of water. Apply at 10- 14 day intervals. It would be a good idea to spray this mix on just a small infested area and wait 24-48 hours to see the effect on the insect and plant. Again don’t apply if too hot, dry, and/or to drought stressed plants.

10. Home Pest Control Strategy – When do you need a pesticide? For disease problems - before recommending any chemical control to home owners, recommend home owners to:  Identify the pest or have it identified. In some cases the disease may indicate an insect pest problem (e.g., sooty mold indicates scale problems).  Scout the tree thoroughly to determine how extensive an infestation has occurred and on what plant part(s). If the infestation is light, control of any kind may not be warranted or just physically removing the affect plant part may be the best answer.

11. Home Pest Control Strategy – When do you need a pesticide?  If the disease pressure is light, most likely the tree can live with it and it will disappear or nearly so “naturally”.  If the disease pressure is high and the tree’s health will be severely impacted then some type of control is warranted. I strongly suggest that the least toxic materials be tried first. This usually includes copper sprays. Lastly, try the more potent chemical products.  As always, we need to stress that people follow the label directions and protect themselves and the environment from contamination and poisoning.

12. Home Pest Control Strategy – common disease control agents  Copper. Copper comes in various formulations, dry and liquid. Follow the label directions. Usually it must be applied about once a month until several weeks prior to beginning to harvest the fruit. Copper is mostly used to control anthracnose.  Sulfur. Sulfur comes in various formulations, dry and liquid. Follow the label directions. Usually it is applied just prior to when mango or avocado trees begin to flower and then again during flowering to control powdery mildew. Sulfur is mostly used to control powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is most prevalent during dry, cool weather in the late winter-early spring.

13. Home Pest Control Strategy – When do you need a pesticide? For weed problems: Weeds adjacent to your fruit trees may compete for water and nutrients and act as a habitat for insect and disease pests. I suggest a 3-4 ft ring of sod be removed from around the trunk of each fruit tree and kept free of weeds by 2-6 inches of mulch. Common weed killers are available – read and follow the label. Do not spray during windy weather.

14. Home Pest Control Strategy – When do you need a pesticide?  If some type of control is warranted, I strongly suggest that the least toxic materials be tried first. This usually includes an insecticidal soap/salt product and gylphosate (e.g., glyphosate). The quick kill products tend to be more toxic to mammals and the environment and do not keep weeds under control for very long.  As always, we need to stress that people follow the label directions and protect themselves and the environment from contamination and poisoning.

15. Sources of information  UF EDIS at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu  UF Plant Pathology Extension Specialists and Diagnostic Clinics.  Pest control fact sheets on edis (Pest Management Guides) at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu  UF Pesticide Information Office at http://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/pest/  UF Insect web site at http://pests.ifas.ufl.edu/  IPM and biological control web site at http://biocontrol.ifas.ufl.edu/  UF Pest Alert at http://extlab1.entnem.ufl.edu/PestAlert/  UF Featured Creatures at http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/

16. Sources of information  Distance Diagnostic Identification System at http://ddis.ifas.ufl.edu/  EXTONET – The Extension Toxicology Network at http://ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet/ Gardens Alive at http://www.gardensalive.com/index.asp?bhcd2=9 99115876 BioSafe Systems at http://www.biosafesystems.com/ BioWorks Inc. at http://www.bioworksbiocontrol.com/ Rodale Institute at http://www.enviroweb.org/publications/rodale/ These sites may recommend things that do not work or that may be phytotoxic, you can recommend the sites but caution the client their recommendations may be untested.

17. For more information  UF-IFAS publications web site: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu  UF-TREC FruitScapes web site: http://fruitscapes.ifas.ufl.edu or www.fruitscapes.info  UF-TREC: http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu  Fla. State Hort. Soc.: www.fshs.org

18. Credits  Author – Dr. Jonathan H. Crane, Tropical Fruit Crops Specialist  This presentation is copyrighted, 2005 University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences