Hey folk's, I have diffrent types of fruit trees ( peach, pear, plum, etc...)in my yard and have always been afraid to spray them for fear of hurting the bees. However, because of this the tent caterpillars and fruit bores always ensure I don't get any of the fruit. After the blooms are gone and the fruit has set is there any type of pesticide I can apply without hurting my bees? Thank's, Brad
after the bloom is gone the bees have no interest in them.
You could spray the blooms with BT, it will kill several types of worms. check the for sale section and look up Sundance, he sales it.
Wrong forum for Sundance.
After the blooms are over on a tree, you can spray anything because the bees will not be on the tree. They have no reason.
It is true that bee's lose interest in trees when the blooms are off. But there are pesticides sold today for fruit trees and grape vines that are long lasting systemics (including neonics) - there could be a carryover of insecticides from one year to the next, appearing in the nectar.
Bt usually does a good job of controlling caterpillars, it does persist very long. Pyrethrins also have a 'knock-down' ability, and they break down fairly quickly.