bugs on alder, how to kill them?

[normandylumberjack]

Hi Guys,

 

I was just cutting my grass when I brushed against a low branch of an alder and got showered in little caterpillars. I looked up and realised that they have skeletonised almost every leaf.

 

Can anyone recommend a cure for these little s**ts?

[normandylumberjack]

Ok, so far the leaf blower has dealt with the lower half of the canopy.

[Eddy_t]

Climb and leaf blower?

 

 

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[Graham]

They are alder leaf beetle larvae.

[treeseer]

Bring in the birds!

[Ty Korrigan]

Hello Adam,

Why even 'deal' with them?

They are there for a good reason and doing no long term harm to a common tree of little value.

They will be feeding other animals in turn and if you deal with the bugs then you are effecting a link in the food chain both as grubs and as winged adults.

We had no long cold spell last Winter and as life is cyclic you may find next year hardly a bug to be seen.

Of course, you could perhaps deal with them 'biologically' but in my experience by the time you have identified the pest, ordered the control and applied it (in the case of other bug eating bugs) the moment has long passed.

If you spray chemicals then you kill all bugs good and bad.

So, do nothing, really just do nothing.

Regards

Ty

[normandylumberjack]

Hello Adam,

Why even 'deal' with them?

They are there for a good reason and doing no long term harm to a common tree of little value.

They will be feeding other animals in turn and if you deal with the bugs then you are effecting a link in the food chain both as grubs and as winged adults.

We had no long cold spell last Winter and as life is cyclic you may find next year hardly a bug to be seen.

Of course, you could perhaps deal with them 'biologically' but in my experience by the time you have identified the pest, ordered the control and applied it (in the case of other bug eating bugs) the moment has long passed.

If you spray chemicals then you kill all bugs good and bad.

So, do nothing, really just do nothing.

Regards

Ty

 

Yeah, bollox to that:001_tt2:

 

The birds and bugs are plenty around here, and this is the only alder for miles. Its part of a little arboretum that I planted so has value to me.

 

Im not into sprays or chemicals, I should of made that clear, was looking at a natural cure. The birds are busy clearing up the Oaks and Apple orchards, they don't seem fussed about these larvae.

 

In the end, I just climbed the tree and shook it to clear the worst of them.

 

Ultimately, I know that nature can be cruel, but I can be crueler:001_tt2:

 

Only kidding, I love having a healthy eco system and try to encourage it as much as possible.

[Ty Korrigan]

Planting Alder?

You'll be sowing Ragwort next like a French farmer...

Ty

[Ty Korrigan]

Here:

Alder leaf beetle/RHS Gardening

 

They were thought to be extinct in the U.K until recently although they have made a come back.

Spraying with normal greenfly killer will do the trick.

Regards

Ty

[Eddy_t]

Here:

 

Alder leaf beetle/RHS Gardening

 

 

 

They were thought to be extinct in the U.K until recently although they have made a come back.

 

Spraying with normal greenfly killer will do the trick.

 

Regards

 

Ty

 

 

Yes, but you're both in France, so getting rid of them there won't make a jot of difference to the British population, unless NLJ has mailed them over here.

 

 

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