Life after stupid ambrosia beetle

[Ktrain]

It was early June when I was forced to make the cuts on 3 in ground trees, this tree was in 4th year and the best one growing in ground.
These trees were my test trees to see how they would accept the clay soil we have, so I used BT. (Brown Turkey)

The oldest and best one...very vigorous.
I am 5'10", it is at my eye level now from June to August.

Please excuse the high grass....I work sun up to sun down...mowing this weekend. lol

[TorontoJoe]

A bunch of us got hit pretty hard in the Northeast last season. I had a couple of trees including one Dalmatie that I had to cut down to the ground. Making a similar recovery now. They sucker back up at but it really sets the trees back

[Ktrain]

This one has tried sending 100 suckers up, I keep plucking them out.
It's very determined. lol

[TorontoJoe]

This was my experience

https://www.ourfigs.com/forum/figs-home/768097-first-time-i-ve-seen-this-can-t-figure-out-what-it-is

[Ktrain]

yep.....this was my first year having dealt with them.
Now I'm going to be very nervous next spring. Sheesh

[JoshHolbrook]

Funny, I had some mature trees that I didn’t have the heart to cut down to the ground and were hit by ABs this fall. It certainly didn’t help their early season growth, but most of them pulled through and kept their old growth.

[Ktrain]

You do realize they over winter in your trees right?
They deposit a fungus in the cavern....and when it grows they lay their eggs in it.

You should cut them off and burn them.

The tree will grow back from the ground....though it does stink.

[JoshHolbrook]

I am in the middle of the woods, there are plenty of reservoirs everywhere - Mulberries, probably Pappaw’s, there’s no sense in trying to eliminate them in that setting. The only plants that get attacked are the ones that get stressed for my late freeze… So if I have a late freeze, I have a bad year, if I don’t have a late freeze they aren’t able to hit my plants hard. The Key moving forward is to select for resilient varieties.

[GeorgiaGent]

We had a super late freeze in north Georgia (late April) all my persimmons were attacked by ambrosia beetle I lost one tree but saved the others by pruning out their strikes as soon as I saw them. They didn’t touch my figs although they killed a vitex tree

[Ktrain]

We are same area same zone I see....but yea, need to take action for next season.

[TorontoJoe]

They are extremely destructive… It requires cutting the tree to the ground as you know. The real problem is that once you realize you have a problem it’s too late. Thankfully I didn’t get hit again this year but the only way I know of to deal with these is using permethrin early as a preventative measure

The most important point to note I believe that was addressed in my thread is that they seem to pret on damaged or wounded tissue… or at least that’s what they’re attracted to… Perhaps even young tissue. In my case they invaded almost exclusively where I had top-notched to induce branching. From then on whenever I notched I also hit the wound with a shot of pruning paint. I assume this covered the scent or whatever attracted them. Now whenever I prune anything or have any kind of a wound or damage on a tree I make sure it’s sealed up. I can’t say definitively if this is what solved the problem but I haven’t had a problem since

[Ktrain]

Good advice for anyone notching, or pruning early.
I have a wound sealer, the black stuff in the picture of the cut part.
Hopefully we don't have another late frost....I will be watching the weather closer.

[TorontoJoe]

Once in a while I try to chime in with something that’s actually useful 😬

[Ktrain]

lol...as do I Sir.

[KSBorder]

Fungus Beauveria bassiana may control Ambrosia beetle, may\e black fruit fly too. (Fungus to control a beetle that eats fungus)



https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32685289/ Free PMC article

Abstract

Background: Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an ambrosia beetle reported to affect avocado trees (Persea americana Mill.). The use of the entomopathogenic fungus (EPF) Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. for ambrosia beetle control represents an alternative to insecticides.


I have to go off thread. Someone else will need to review this to be sure!


They sell it here.

https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/beauveria-bassiana-beneficial-fungal-insect-control

[bullet08]

doesn't prevention work? spraying with pesticide early spring and late winter?

[Ktrain]

This happened to me in mid April when a late frost hit, the week after it happened the beetles showed up.
Not sure if having previously sprayed at some point would have make a difference.
The stuff that TorontoJoe mentioned (permethrin) is what I heard works on them.

[bullet08]

Ktrain before all my trees died 5 years ago, i neglected them due to health issue, couple of my trees that were almost dead had ambrosia beetles. i did read that it might be prevented. but not certain. they were all container cultures and i always sprayed them before going into garage and coming out. did fine for 5 years, maybe healthy trees might not get attacked, but read somewhere healthy trees do get attacked.

[Ktrain]

I will be reading more into it for sure, a lot of the wood these beetles were boring into was all good wood, only the tops suffered freeze damage.
I have 2 other trees that got cut down also, both doing good but not as good as this one.

I will be picking up some permethrin and applying it next season.

Thanks