Pyramite is also effective but has only contact activity. Therefore, rust mite control with Pyramite applied at this time will not last as long as with AgriMek. Adequate spray volume is important with any material to achieve satisfactory pear rust mite control. With the warm weather of the last two weeks, overwintering larvae are actively feeding now and are beginning to web up leaves. Several new insecticides are available for leafroller control which can be used at petal fall and through the summer including Success, Confirm and also Esteem.
Petal fall is still a good time to control overwintering larvae.
Confirm and Esteem are registered for use on apples and pears but not on cherries. Success is registered on apples and stone fruits including sweet cherries. There is no registration yet for Success on pears. Well, this time it was our turn at the Experiment Station to have pear thrips show up in unexpectedly high numbers. Most of the pear thrips infestation was on the East edge of the station blocks close to the wooded area that drops down to the Hood River.