Sickly Avocado Tree

[Kiana]

Just saw an article on the Avocado Lace Bug on the civilbeat.org website. Here's a short snippet that was interesting for treatment. Nice to have some natural options:

Found Avocado Lace Bugs On Your Tree?

1. Plant flowers around your trees. This attracts beneficial insects that eat the avocado lace bug.
2. A diluted mixture of rosemary oil, peppermint oil and water sprayed on the underside of leaves is an affordable, soft insecticide. But make sure you purchase your oils at a home gardening store because otherwise they could damage your tree.
3. Neem oil has also been shown to help the spread of bugs, but just like the essential oil mixture, make sure it’s formulated for gardening and you spray the underside of the leaves.
4. Don’t panic! While your tree may drop all its leaves and appear dead, continue caring for it and it’s likely to bounce back.

Here's a link to the article:
https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/05/podcas...-lace-bug/

[DidUHearAboutPluto?]

Three of my avocado trees were invested with the lace wing pest.

I called the Department of Ag in Hilo and they told me to get and use this product:

BioAdvanced 701520A Fruit, Citrus & Vegetable Insect Control for Edible Gardening Concentrate, 32-Ounce

Very easy to use.  Depending upon the length of tree’s canopy from the main trunk, you mix an appropriate amount of BioAdvanced with 1 gallon of water and pour around the trunk, then pour a gallon of water same way afterwards.

Took a while, but the trees loved it, new growth was unaffected by the pests and fruit production was excellent.

Directions say use once a year, but in our climate twice a year seems more effective.

Unfortunately the cheapest I found was through Amazon.

Good luck!

[Kiana]

Thank you DUHAP. Sounds similar to the systemic drench treatment.  Great news and tips!

[MyManao]

Great news and tips!

I too have an avocado that was recently attacked.. totally ravished in a few months.. by the same pest reported here by descodave. 

My first response once I saw the bugs living on the underside of the leaves was to try Neem oil. Unfortunately, other than being covered in oil, it didn’t seem to do much to the pests.. so I was on to scratching my head. And, since the tree is loosing it’s old leaves right now while at the same time new growth is beginning to emerge I've been in a sort of let’s wait and see mode when this thread got started..

It was cool that Durian Fiend quickly identified the problem as the Avocado Lace Bug. And Kiana’s link to that video was a lot of help from which I concluded the same as DidUHearAboutPluto? to whom the DOA suggested use "BioAdvanced 701520A Fruit, Citrus & Vegetable Insect Control for Edible Gardening Concentrate..”

But I ain’t all that eager to put something in the plant that I assume would also show up in its fruit. Not that I am full on adverse, I am just slow and want more info when dealing with stuff like that. So Kiana’s reference to that CB article where it suggests a "diluted mixture of rosemary oil, peppermint oil and water…” was a welcome alternative. And, since I happen to have some Trifecta..

https://www.trifectanatural.com

which in essence is those organic oils and more, I mixed a little sprayer of the stuff yesterday and gave a few branches a dose.. and am happy to say today the infestation in the sprayed area is gone.

[descodave]

Thankyou so much for your thoughts Mymanao! I may buy some of that Trifecta. I wonder if planting a rosemary & a peppermint plant near or under the avocado would do anything?

[Durian Fiend]

Thankyou so much for your thoughts Mymanao! I may buy some of that Trifecta. I wonder if planting a rosemary & a peppermint plant near or under the avocado would do anything?

No, but they'd be nice to have in your yard. 

[DidUHearAboutPluto?]

Great news and tips!

I too have an avocado that was recently attacked.. totally ravished in a few months.. by the same pest reported here by descodave. 

My first response once I saw the bugs living on the underside of the leaves was to try Neem oil. Unfortunately, other than being covered in oil, it didn’t seem to do much to the pests.. so I was on to scratching my head. And, since the tree is loosing it’s old leaves right now while at the same time new growth is beginning to emerge I've been in a sort of let’s wait and see mode when this thread got started..

It was cool that Durian Fiend quickly identified the problem as the Avocado Lace Bug. And Kiana’s link to that video was a lot of help from which I concluded the same as DidUHearAboutPluto? to whom the DOA suggested use "BioAdvanced 701520A Fruit, Citrus & Vegetable Insect Control for Edible Gardening Concentrate..”

But I ain’t all that eager to put something in the plant that I assume would also show up in its fruit. Not that I am full on adverse, I am just slow and want more info when dealing with stuff like that. So Kiana’s reference to that CB article where it suggests a "diluted mixture of rosemary oil, peppermint oil and water…” was a welcome alternative. And, since I happen to have some Trifecta..

https://www.trifectanatural.com

which in essence is those organic oils and more, I mixed a little sprayer of the stuff yesterday and gave a few branches a dose.. and am happy to say today the infestation in the sprayed area is gone.

**** "But I ain’t all that eager to put something in the plant that I assume would also show up in its fruit."

Neither am I.  That's why when the Department of Ag recommended this product I quizzed them about the product's affect on fruit.  They stated that the BioAdvanced had been thoroughly tested for its efficacy and safety by the D of Ag's laboratories.  They found infinitesimal traces.  The guy told me "we eat far worse every day."  The product has worked for me and mine for 3 seasons.  I'm good with it.